Do.As.I.Say

"We talked about the U.S.-based flooding of the 911 phone lines in Ottawa, the presence of U.S. citizens in the blockades and the impact of foreign money to fund this illegal activity."

"[Biden] expressed concern not just for the impacts right now, but the indication that there is international support from the United States and from elsewhere around the world for these protests."

"[On some funding platforms, the] number of U.S. donations are approaching 50 percent."

"Our police services are monitoring carefully, and watching and co-ordinating with partner agencies around the world."

"We see mobilization of some of the more challenging political elements in Canada and in the United States around support for these blockades that are hurting citizens."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Canada has absolutely ZERO jurisdiction over how we manage our funds here at GiveSendGo."

"All funds for EVERY campaign on GiveSendGo flow directly to the recipients of those campaigns, not least of which is the Freedom Convoy campaign."

U.S.Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo

"There's messages from donors saying their location is in the U.K., Israel, U.S., and it has been promoted by some quite high-profile American content creators as well."

"[The Institute for Strategic Dialogue hasn't collected any evidence, but it's] something that I would never rule out [that some of the Convoy donations are emanating from Russia]."

Tim Squirrell, head, communications and editorial, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, U.K.

"Each hour that these blockades continue does more serious damage to our economy and society."

"Manufacturers that depend on just-in=time delivery have been forced to cancel shifts for thousands of workers, shipments of livestock and of fresh produce face serious delays or waste that threaten food security,and deliveries of products that are greatly needed by Canadian families are being cancelled."

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Anti-mandate protesters children walk beside parked trucks near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday, February 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

The Canadian Truckers Convoy that has dubbed itself the Freedom Convoy has reverberated globally. From New Zealand to the United Kingdom, the United States to Israel and points between, capital cities like Paris are now facing the threat of blockades by their national truckers groups, initially expressing sympathy for the Canadian Truckers, and expanding that to express their own outrage over the coronavirus mandates that have been visited on themselves nationally.

 

In Canada, Federal authority has been muted in response to the capital of the country being under the physical thrall of thousands of protesters, many driving large semi-trailers, the rigs being used as a coercive measure and menace, threatening to remain as long as it takes for the central government to revoke its COVID mandates. That demand was later substantially increased by another demanding the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign.

This is the same federal government that has failed to resolve an issue that has grown to national proportions causing both social and economic dislocation. Other truckers, attempting to deliver time-sensitive loads across the border between Canad and the United states have been held up for as long as a week at some of the critical border crossings. The Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, to Detroit, which sees a quarter of all trade pass through between the two countries has finally been cleared of protesters but not yet cleared for traffic.

The Canadian government has excoriated the provincial Ontario government and the municipality of its capital city for not having dealt expeditiously with the protests that have upended people's lives for close to three weeks with trucks idling 24 hours a day,diesel fumes polluting the atmosphere, air horns blasting continuously, and protesters openly defying mask mandates while harassing and intimidating local residents who wear masks. Grocers have shut down because of unruly behaviour, hospitals have been unable to operate as normally.

But the federal government and the prime minister sit by, critical of everyone else, themselves having in the first place caused the protesters to dig in their heels, refusing to disperse. Justin Trudeau spoke insultingly disparagingly of the truckers, characterizing them as misfits, racists, homophobes, thugs with whom he refused to meet. When Black Lives Matter demonstrated on Parliament Hill a year and a half ago, Trudeau was pleased to make an appearance and 'take a knee', though many of the BLM demonstrations turned violent.

This is the same Trudeau that when India attempted to introduce new farm legislation to upgrade and modernize their system of sales of agricultural products, and the farmers organized a protest rally just outside New Delhi to demand the legislation be repealed because of their belief it would harm their incomes, Justin Trudeau stated his support of the farmers -- mostly Sikh -- to play to Canada's large Sikh population. At that time he was pleased to urge Indian Prime Minister Modi to 'listen' to the protesters.

As for Canada's Truck Convoy, there are those in the U.S. cheering it on; Republicans and far-right figures, including former President Donald Trump, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Georgie Representative MarjorieTaylor Greene. They'll have their own Truckers Convoy to contend with, one planned to possibly interrupt the Super Bowl and Mr. Biden's State of the Union address on March 1st.

The original GoFundMe campaign to raise funds in support of the protest saw $10 million raised in the space of a week, but the GoFundMe organizers decided to freeze the funds. Whereupon the Convoy organizers turned to an alternative source, the U.S. GiveSendGo fundraising site which has almost now matched the original fundraising of $10 million, and which, unlike its predecessor has defied Canadian government wishes that the funds raised not be given to the Truck Convoy organizers.

According to Christian Leuprecht, a professor at Royal Military College and Queen's University, "the amount of money that's being raised, the pace at which it's being raised, raises serious questions about the sources of the money", that it's "not inconceivable" that some of the funding may have come from Russia. 

 

What is undeniable, is that Canadian truckers have a legitimate grievance. There was no need to mandate vaccinations for the mere ten percent of the trucking industry that remains unvaccinated, depriving them of their livelihood and Canadians of ongoing food deliveries. A miserable failure of an incompetent federal government in its zeal to control the public to an extent not seen other than in wartime situations.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves a news conference after announcing the Emergencies Act will be invoked to deal with protests, Monday, February 14, 2022 in Ottawa. Trudeau says he has invoked the Emergencies Act to bring to an end antigovernment blockades he describes as illegal and not about peaceful protest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld