My reflections of the Truckers Freedom Convoy:
By Peter Saffery of Pembroke, Ontario
Background:
Reporting on Covid-19 in February 2020 and the response seemed odd. I am a bit of a News junkie, and right from the start the reporting was not clean. They did not know where it came from; the Market in Wuhan China? But then it was not. It was possibly from the Wuhan research laboratory and there were US connections. Trump was being blamed for anything and Trump was making conflicting reports.
It sounded like a good idea to flatten the curve, wear gloves, use disinfectant, wear a face mask like a doctor and stay isolated. We kept our grandchildren longer after the March Break, as travel was restricted.
Then we heard that the disease was a virus and a cloth mask was useless. A well fitting N95 mask was the minimum requirement, but cloth masks were mandated. Then double masks were suggested. We all know when you are sick, one stays at home, but then all the healthy, and workers were mandated home, except for some.
Stores were closed and shopping limited, but you could buy pot and liquor, and one could not go to city park and play. Strip clubs and bars were opened but Churches were too dangerous. Perhaps for some, it is better to get drunk than to pray.
Then it got crazier. We know that it takes years to develop a vaccine, and many more years to properly test for prevention and transmission. It takes even longer to ensure the vaccine is safe and will not cause injury or death. But suddenly a new type of vaccine – a new technology even - appeared: mRNA. We heard WHO had to change the definition of vaccine to include this as a vaccine, and after 3 months it had a temporary approval.
I remember the polio years. I have friends who were deformed from Thalidomide. A relative had a “safe” lobotomy to cure post-partum depression, (And became vegetable). My father was told by the doctors that smoking did not cause his throat cancer.
In 2020, Facts were not adding up to the public narrative. The statistics right from the start were manipulated. It seemed that people were dropping off like flies, yet when I did a little math, at worst, only 3% of the infected over 70-year-old were dying. Covid-19 had little effect on healthy young people. “Follow the Science” was a catch phrase, but the officials were not following the science but a different agenda. Doctors were told not to treat Covid with conventional drugs, and when people eventually arrived at a hospital, ventilators were prescribed as the usual treatment. On the internet, worldwide, Hydroxychloroquine was popular, and Ivermectin was used as a successful treatment. But these treatments were prohibited in Canada.
We all suspected that the numbers of deaths were inflated, and we heard of people dying untested and labeled as Covid deaths. One story broke through CTV in October/November of 2020, where a young boy was the first to die from Covid-19 in Alberta. The Premier of Alberta made a big story of it and more healthy children were locked out of school. But then the sister of the boy informed the news, that her brother died of Cancer. He was admitted into hospital for the last months of his life. A Covid test revealed that he contracted Covid-19 in hospital two weeks before his death. Covid-19 was not a factor in his death.
After that CTV released some honest data: Less than 10% of Covid-19 reported deaths, could be attributed to Covid alone. 76% of all “Covid deaths” in Alberta, were people with 3 or more comorbidities. The press, fueled by the government of Canada misinformation, was ramping up fear. Useless masks, as far as a virus was concerned, were forced on healthy people. We could shop at Walmart, but the local vegetable store was closed.
For a year we listened to fake statistics interpretations. Fake science: “Natural immunity was not good enough”. Inaccurate reporting, hyping the dangers when in fact newer strains were even less likely to kill you than the original strain. Denmark removed all restrictions, and their Covid outcomes were like Sweden that clamped down even harder. Obviously, isolation did not work. By January of 2022, we knew the mRNA vaccination was not stopping infection or transmission, and we all knew friends or family who had a negative reaction to the mRNA Vaccine. Thinking Canadians, who wanted to wait for real data to prove the vaccine was safe, were fired for refusing the vaccination. Unreasonable pressure was forced onto ordinary Canadian workers. Teachers, nurses, doctors, and policemen were fired.
Anyone who openly looked at the facts, knew that the mandated were not about Covid-19. Something, else is driving this agenda. Then the truckers started talking. Ordinary everyday truckers started driving to Ottawa to make a stand against the restricting mandates. It was breath of fresh air. It was a simple grass-roots movement. God was answering the prayers of 9-5 people who could see through this official nonsense.
I was out on Highway 17 the Night the Truckers drove through Pembroke and Cobden. We cheered them on as someone made free hotdogs on a BBQ. Free hot cholate was plentiful. It was bitterly cold, but we knew Canada was waking up. Trucks adorned with Bible verses were everywhere. People did not hide their business associations and drove in business vehicles. We waved at the honking trucks and yelled “freedom” together down miles of the Highway for hours and hours. This was one of the greatest expressions of freedom in Canada. God Bless Canada! This Country is Free and has a Strong spirit.
I visited Ottawa 4 or 5 during the protest. It was fun. It was noisy. It was liberating and there were excellent speakers on the main stage every day until the truckers left. It was my privilege to hear Brian Pickford speak. Many Canadian doctors and nursed, University professors, lawyers and Church pastors spoke explaining the real science and the facts that the Canadian government was hiding. People spoke of their sacrifices as they were fired from jobs for declining the experimental vaccine. The atmosphere was liberating, loving, yes and noisy.
When a young lady applied for a quiet time at night so people could sleep, the truckers responded positively, immediately. There was no threat of danger. The protesters were everyday Canadians. We want freedom. The Government directives, mandates, and restrictions did not make sense.
Of course, it was noisy. Yes, it was a distraction to the locals. It was a protest! This protest could have been the greatest uniting movements in Canadian History. Instead, it simply magnified and defined the tyranny of our present leadership.
The tone was set by the disgusting attitude of the Canadian Prime Minister. The Canadian Parliament responded in unison with the Prime Minister. A few back benchers gave some support to the protestors but there was no initial opposition to Prime Minister Trudeau. The News media jumped on the bandwagon in support of the official narrative and did no digging for truth or reporting facts independently. Canadian media no longer reports Truth but simply adds to and enhances stories they hear from others. Canadian Media has lost its moral compass.
Economically, the protest attracted thousands to the capital. It could have been an economic boom for the businesses in the downtown core, but the mayor shut down business. The truckers made every effort to keep lanes open for emergency vehicles, but the police installed barricades that forced a strangle-hold on traffic.
Throughout the protest the atmosphere was friendly and open. Protestors included every type of Canadian; men, women, children, seniors, immigrants, aboriginals, Christians, Jews, Muslims …. We all thought wrongly that Canada was a bastion of freedom and the Prime Minister, the press and parliament would see their folly and turn back to Canadian compassion and inclusiveness and openly examine the facts and misgiving of the people of Canada to the Vaccine Mandates and the government overreach. In one discussion on the main stage, an aboriginal woman asked to come up and comment. She ended her speech by saying, that as an aboriginal she has removed herself from any association with any official Canadian authority for years. “But today, after 8 years away from Canadian society, I am here to tell you, this action sparked by ordinary Canadians truckers, has made me proud to be a Canadian”. This woman, who would not touch a Canadian flag or acknowledge Canada, then wrapped herself in a Canadian flag. “Today I am proud to be Canadian!” she repeated.
I have protested often in my 77 years. In South Africa it was against Apartheid, the police state and white supremacy. In the United Kingdom I protested the Vietnam war and went on hunger marches to support action to relieve World Poverty and starvation. I have often protested killing babies in the womb and supported a pro-life view of the sanctity of human life. The Canadian Truckers convoy and protest was the most down to earth and included everyone. The variety of protesters, the atmosphere, the excitement, the hope was the most exhilarating I had ever seen. It was peaceful. It was joyous. It was hopeful. It was life.
It seemed to me that the city, following the rants of the Canadian Prime Minister and the Liberals, made it as difficult as possible for Canadians. Their actions not only affected the protestors, but also affected the locals. Businesses were closed. There were no available bathrooms, and except for one private attempt to provide porta potties, there were no toilets available except for a few immigrant restaurants with long lines for the bathrooms. Regularly truckers and protesters hung garbage bags on the street poles and frequently we took turns pushing snow shovels along the sidewalks to clear the snow and dirt. Churches groups and little old ladies brought sandwiches and donuts. There were small BBQs next to some trucks. Some South American immigrants set up a free taco tent. Asian groups handed out soups and bread. Food was free. It was bitterly cold and the real attitude of Canadians shone bright. We were again discussing and talking and yes, dancing in the streets. Trudeau had kept us divided for almost two years, and now we Canadians, with families and children, French, English, Aboriginals, and new Immigrants simply wanting just to be. Talk, discuss, debate; we are not blind children!
Late Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday, I could not sleep. I had seen the brutal crackdown of the police, the beloved RCMP stamping down a senior citizen with her walker, and the army recruits on TV on Saturday. I felt I needed to make a prophetic pronouncement over Ottawa.
On Sunday 20th of February, a cold sunny day, I avoided the roads and the blockades and walked across the snow to the Parliament buildings. The Canadians had been evicted and now there were police blockades along Spark Street with no access to our parliament buildings. Soldiers and tanks maneuvered in front of the Chateau Laurier in the cold. One could hear the bark of army officers. Soldiers, not resembling Canadian troupes, marched fully armed up and down Elgin Street in front of the National Arts Centre.
Canada, you have taken a turn for the worst; Canadians are promoting violence against Canadians. We are promoting Godlessness and enabling anger and intolerance. This is the seed of Nazis Germany in Canada. We are on the wrong road. Turn back Canada before it is too late. Embrace the name of Jesus. This is the spirit of the Anti-Christ. Turn back Canada!
Submitted By Peter Saffery
30 October 2022.