It appears as if the convoy occupation of Ottawa is coming to a conclusion but those who think that this is the end of the matter and that we will return to a happy and peaceful way of Canadian life had better think again.
There is a restlessness and a sense of anger in this country that is palpable and, sadly, malleable. It has allowed the rise of a movement that borders on insurrection and is dedicated, organized, well-funded, and dangerous. The convoy may be leaving Ottawa but the movement to disrupt and radically challenge basic tenets of our democracy under the misplaced and erroneous banner of “freedom” has not gone away.
If it ever was, what we have seen in Canada in the last several months is no longer simply about people who reject COVID-19 restrictions. Most of those are decent people with strong opinions who were seeking a peaceful way to express them. That platform has been hijacked by those with a much deeper agenda, an agenda that uses COVID-19 as an excuse, our national flag as a weapon, and freedom as a lure to anarchy. They will not go away when COVID-19 mandates go away.
In Ottawa we have seen what may have been a legitimate protest turn into an occupation. I have witnessed leadership races and national election campaigns that were less organized than this. War rooms were set up in Ottawa hotels where convoy leaders directed operations, which included strict messaging and control of activities. Road captains were assigned to each occupied and blocked street for oversight and control, and other volunteers assigned as block captains to coordinate directly with members of the convoy and to see to their needs.
In terms of effective communications, these people know what they are doing too. They know that “freedom” is a catchword that many will latch on to and they are milking it for all it is worth.
Jay Hill, an associate of Tamara Lich, a leader of the “freedom” movement, emphasized Lich’s messaging discipline as “a very clearly defined message that is understandable and simple, a message that people can grasp hold of and run with.”
Intimidation is another well-organized strategy. This past week, Pat King, also a leader of the “freedom” convoy posted a video where he exhorted police officers to “Back off. Stand down. Put your badge on the ground…”
He threatened them with a legal battle if they didn’t comply—“When this comes to an end, just following orders is not going to be a good legal defense.”—and urged them to “stand with the people” and join his movement. If that is not a call for insurrection, I am not sure what is.
Add to that the intimidation and violence as police tried to do their job in the nation’s capital—not just by a few, as some would have us believe, but in a coordinated manner, gas cannisters hurled at police, at least one of their horses attacked, journalists harassed and followed, and most disgustingly, young children placed on the front lines to deter police.
The “freedom” convoy in Ottawa is significant because it took place in our nation’s capital ultimately resulting in the shutdown of Parliament. But its tentacles were everywhere, shutting down our borders, blockades across Canada, protests in Coutts, Alberta by white nationalists that resulted in two murders, and granting a sense of empowerment to anti-pipeline protesters to attack a coastal gasline site causing millions of dollars worth of damage and threatening workers. It spreads like wildfire.
All of this makes me wonder what we are becoming as Canadians. Are we okay with this? Do we have a problem with a group of anarchists—no matter how small they are—urging the overthrow of our government? Don’t we do that by ballot and not violence? Do we really think it will just go away if we put our heads in the sand?
John Ivison, a columnist with the National Post said this: “It feels like Canada is splintering into two tribes—the intolerant, authoritarian woke lunatics on the left and the spittle-flecked, hateful lunatics on the far-right. Where are the voices of compassion and common-sense? The silent majority needs to speak up.”
And what, one may ask, are our federal politicians doing to address the unrest we are facing in Canada right now and what are they doing to encourage the silent majority to speak up? Not much in my view.
The Liberal Government has declared a state of emergency in Canada. Is it necessary? I honestly don’t know the answer to that. I am suspicious of any national government that tries to grab more power. With unrest being apparent for some time in many parts of Canada, at the very least to our national intelligence service, I do wonder why the Trudeau Government was not more prepared to deal with what has come about. As well, the name-calling, the accusations, and the arrogance displayed by the prime minister have accomplished little, other than adding fuel to the fire. I am not sure where the leadership is there.
As for the Conservatives, those that have defended the occupiers, those who have provided legitimacy to the myth that this movement is all about freedom, those who have ignored the rule of law—a conservative principle I always believed was sacrosanct—have, in my view, sent the wrong message to Canadians and their entire party will pay for that.
The irony to me is that if Stephen Harper or even Brian Mulroney were prime minister today, the rule of law would have been their first priority. And once the protest in Ottawa turned into an occupation, the violence and intimidation there, and also around the country, would not have been tolerated for any reason, including a partisan one. In fairness, I would put Jean Chrétien in that same category.
So, what now? It does appear that the current crisis is calming down and we can only hope that is an accurate perception. But what happens next? This movement, and these people, are not going away. They are dedicated, focused on their purpose, well-funded (much of this from outside of Canada), and using false flags such as “freedom” to attract people who would not otherwise join their cause.
I wish I knew the answer to that, but surely the first step is for our political leadership in Ottawa, on both sides of the aisle, to recognize that something has to be done. This cannot be left to fester further.
In a recent tweet, Bob Rae, ambassador to the United Nations, former premier of Ontario, and former federal Liberal leader, said, “The anguish and anger we are feeling prevents us from seeing the anguish and anger we are causing others.”
While we still have time, we need to think about that as we ponder what is happening in this country and what kind of a country we want to be.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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