# taz.de -- „Trucker protests“ in Ottawa: Canada on the brink
> The „trucker protests“ which paralysed Ottawa for weeks were a systematic
> attempt from Canada's Trump-inspired Right to overthrow the government.
IMG Bild: Ottawa, Saturday 19 February
This is the English original of the essay whose German translation by
Dominic Johnson appeared in TAZ [1][here].
Judging from reports sent around the world, it would seem that events
currently taking place across Canada, including the [2][occupation of the
nation’s capital, Ottawa], are led by “peaceful“ truck drivers protesting
vaccine mandates imposed on both sides of the Canada-US border. However,
many Canadians would disagree and are convinced that the blockades are not
led by truck drivers, 82 percent of whom are fully vaccinated, but more
importantly Canadians do not believe these “protests“ are in anyway
“peaceful,“ or are about vaccine mandates, since upon their arrival the
“occupiers“ gave the government an ultimatum: resign, or be deposed.
The majority of Canadians believe they are led by a coalition of four
groups holding Alt-right ideology, including White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis,
anti-Semitics, and libertarians. This belief is based on the political
affiliation of the four organizers, whose members drove across the country
parading Confederate flags, Third Reich flags, Swastikas painted on
Canadian flags, yellow stars, upside down Canadian flags, as well as many
flags laden with profanities directed at the Prime Minister of Canada while
threatening his life.
Despite their posing as “peaceful protesters,“ they polluted the air with
idling diesel trucks, blocked Ottawa’s city centre, sounded their air horns
day and night (over 106 decibels), put up tents, bouncy castles, open
firepits, and even hot tubs on the streets they blocked. They built
kitchens offering free food to their supporters as many businesses closed
their doors. They put up a stage to party nightly, blocked public
transportation, and harassed residents for wearing masks, particularly
members of visible minorities. They defecated in the streets, violated the
Cenotaph of the War Memorial, danced on the tomb of the unknown soldier,
and attempted to burn down two residential buildings in retaliation for
being told to stop the noise.
Once established in Ottawa, members of this movement proceeded to blockade
major highways, the main arteries for trade between US and Canada.
Canadians are struggling to come to terms with the level of hate and
vitriol expressed by what they first took as normal Canadians tired of
Pandemic restrictions wanting to make their voices heard. Few among us are
willing to accept that Canada has pockets of groups seeking to cause
serious harm to society and their fellow citizens. Even more alarming are
the deeply racist and fascist views that members of these groups hold, much
of which echoed those held by ex-US President Trump’s supporters south of
the border.
## A Tale of Two Solitudes
One of the reasons that this comes as a shock to Canadian society has to do
with the speed with which fissures within the social fabric appeared.
Looking back, there was a clear radical shift to the right in Canadian
political discourse since 2003, when the leading centre-right Progressive
Conservative Party merged with the Reform Party that was based on US
socially conservative and far right ideology. The emerging Conservative
Party of Canada (CPC) had none of the nuance of the Progressives, as it
advocated much weaker Federal government, and pushed provinces to privatize
health services and education. The party came to power in 2006 under the
leadership of Stephen Harper, whose nine years in office resulted in
radically weakened social supports, allowed foreign ownership of Canadian
media, muzzled scientists, altered immigration selection process away from
family reunification, and promoted policies aligning with racist rhetoric à
la Trump.
Although the CPC was voted out in 2015, it nevertheless had time to
introduce social and political divisions in a country that was feeling the
impact of globalization, the off-shoring of meaningful manufacturing
businesses, and the influx of highly educated immigrants. Unemployment
increased in small rural centres, prompting the exodus of young workers to
larger cities. In less than two decades, urban and rural populations were
divided along educational, financial, and racial lines. The seats won by
the Liberal Party of Canada when it returned to power in 2015 showed a
rural (Conservative) and urban (Liberal) divide.
The departure of Stephen Harper left a void in the party, which has
floundered under successive unsuccessful leaders, last of whom was turfed
for attempting to bring the party’s socially conservative members to the
centre. This attempt raised the ire of the party’s membership that has been
dominated by lobbyists for the gun, oil and gas, and big pharma
corporations, and adhered to an ideology imbued with Trump’s populism.
However, unlike their Republican counterparts in the US, Canada’s CPC has
been unable to regain power as its policies have failed to resonate with
the majority of Canadians. As the Republicans have done under Trump, in its
bid to regain power, CPC espouses racist rhetoric, conspiracy theories,
spreads lies and misinformation on social media, and is supported by the
Canadian US-owned mainstream media outlets.
## The Pandemic and the “Freedom Convoy“
The pandemic hit Canada as hard as it did other nations, however the
Liberal government succeeded in managing its impact quite successfully,
keeping small businesses from bankruptcy, supporting gig economy workers,
while procuring vaccines for the public. Despite the gross mismanagement by
Conservative run Provinces of vaccine roll out and restrictions, Canada’s
economy remained robust, and received accolades from international
institutions, including the OECD and World Bank. In fact, one of the
elements that has led the majority of Canadians to suspect the rhetoric of
the “Freedom Convoy“ was the knowledge that vaccine mandates and
restrictions are entirely under provincial jurisdiction, and yet these
aggressive groups chose to direct their demands to the Federal government.
More disquieting for the fully vaccinated Canadian public (90%) was the
realization that this relatively small movement had succeeded in amassing
$14.7 million (Can) in less than two weeks, 52 percent of which came from
the US. As the level of violence directed at the government and the public
in Ottawa became undeniable, GoFundMe took the decision to freeze the
account, prompting US Republican politicians to weigh in and forced
GoFundMe to refund the money, which then allowed the movement’s US and
Canadian donors to contribute to the movement through another crowd funding
engine, GiveSendGo, notorious for having been the financial conduit that
bankrolled Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
As the situation in Ottawa degenerated, residents took to the streets to
stop the entry of 'week-end’ protesters, succeeding where the police had
failed. Within two days of these events, the federal government took the
decision to [3][invoke the Emergencies Act (EA)] for the first time since
it was promulgated in 1988, thereby facilitating the deployment of police
from other jurisdictions, and providing federal RCMP support units to end
the “occupation“. Again, US politicians and news outlets, including Fox
News, CNN, and the New York Times accused Canada’s PM of tyranny and
dictatorship, spread false rumours of wanton police violence, and killing
of protesters where none were perpetrated. This rhetoric was echoed by CPC
caucus members, who openly welcomed the “occupation,“ and went so far as to
suggest the PM acquiesce to the demands of the “occupiers“.
## Emergencies Act and Canadian Unity
A note should be made regarding the nature of the [4][Emergencies Act],
which replaced the War Measures Act invoked by Justin Trudeau’s father,
Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1970. The Act allows local authorities to
automatically swear in Peace Officers from other jurisdictions, and to
limit access to certain areas to help bring a situation under control. It
explicitly safeguards all rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms, holds police accountable, and permits full access to the media.
It also allows the authorities to scrutinize the source of financing of
unlawful acts, a power that has in fact succeeded in stemming the funding
to this group of right-wing extremists. Unlike the War Measures Act, it
specifically does not call for the deployment of the army.
Police chiefs and legal experts confirm the powers given under the EA were
absolutely necessary to free the city of a group that has taken possession
of Ottawa centre, and had setup three command centres within few kilometres
of the city. Contrary to common media narrative the majority of Canadians
(67 percent) believe the movement is illegitimate, particularly since the
group made it abundantly clear their intention was to occupy the nation’s
capital and overthrow the democratically elected government. They presented
an ultimatum in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) demanding government
resignation, and proposed to have it replaced by themselves forming Citizen
Committees to rule in coalition with members of the Conservative Party,
Governor General, and Senate. Indeed, the influence of US politics is hard
to ignore when the organizers when arraigned ask for their rights under the
“first amendment“ and plead silence under the “fifth amendment“ of the US
Constitution.
The government had one week pass the right to invoke the Act in parliament.
The minority liberal government of Justin Trudeau had to convince at least
one party to vote alongside it, as it faced stiff opposition from Bloc
Quebecois (a secessionist party representing Quebec) and the CPC. The New
Democratic Party (NDP) has now conditionally sided with the government,
while reserving the right to remove its support should its members decide
the Act is no longer warranted.
The Act has passed its first hurdle in parliament, but provincial Premiers
who are in the majority Conservative (eight of 10), have opposed it, and
some are currently threatening legal action against the federal government
for “overreach,“ a move that will put in question federal authority as set
out in the Constitution. In the event the NDP withdraws its support, it may
justify the legal case against the government, which may open the way for a
constitutional challenge. The decision to open the Constitution can only
occur if at least seven of the ten provinces with a combined 50 percent of
Canadian population agree. So far only Alberta has launched a legal
challenge, but all indications point to the possibility it would be joined
by others, most definitely Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec. More
Canadians are becoming aware of the wish on the part of some, particularly
in the Oil and Gas sector in western provinces, to divide Canada.
As these events unfold, Canadians need to acknowledge the socio-political
and economic disparities that have nurtured these divisions, and find ways
to bridge the rural-urban divide. This will require deep changes to the
political landscape, and in particular a strategy to handle foreign
meddling. Canada cannot afford to allow divisions to fester, as Canadians
are not equipped to deal with extremism and violence. A tall order for any
government, let alone a minority government led by a beleaguered leader.
What transpires will define the Canada of this century.
23 Feb 2022
## LINKS
DIR [1] /Truckerproteste-in-Kanada/!5833858
DIR [2] https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-aftermath-of-the-freedom-convoy-demonstration-in-ottawa-five-stories-to-watch-this-week-1.5788987
DIR [3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-cabinet-1.6350734
DIR [4] https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/e-4.5/page-1.html
## AUTOREN
DIR Salam Hawa
## TAGS
DIR Kanada
DIR Justin Trudeau
DIR Ottawa
DIR Schwerpunkt Coronavirus
DIR Verschwörungsmythen und Corona
DIR Kanada
## ARTIKEL ZUM THEMA
DIR Truckerproteste in Ottawa aufgelöst: Impfgegner-Trucks sind weg
Kanadas Polizei löst die Protestblockaden in der Hauptstadt Ottawa auf. 170
Personen werden festgenommen, darunter drei der Anführer*innen.
DIR Trucker-Proteste in Kanada: Knüppel gegen Lkw-Fahrer
Kanadas Premier Trudeau zieht gegen die protestierenden Trucker die
Daumenschrauben an. Sie sind aber eine heterogene Bewegung und keine
Terroristen.
DIR Notstandsgesetze in Kanada: In die Falle getappt
Kanadas Premier Trudeau greift gegen die Trucker*innen zu härteren
Maßnahmen. Damit verstärkt er allerdings deren Zerrbild einer übergriffigen
Elite.