The answer to that question is “maybe,” but the Canadian government is very nervous that a heavy-handed response to a peaceful protest of truckers simply demanding their personal medical freedom might actually spawn sympathy and a larger backlash.
President Biden has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin “Blackface” Trudeau to use all forces at his disposal to clear the trucker Freedom Convoy, and it looks like something is gearing up to happen. Eventually. Maybe.
For the moment, the truckers have agreed to open one lane of the Ambassador Bridge to ease some congestion and show a semblance of concession to weaken legal attempts allowing removal by force:
Protesters who have blocked a crucial U.S.-Canada trade corridor decided Friday to open a lane of traffic for U.S. vehicles entering Canada, hours before a Canadian judge is expected to rule on whether police can remove the demonstrators.
A group of protesters, who have choked off most access to the Ambassador Bridge, decided that opening up a lane might weaken the argument of lawyers for the Canadian border city of Windsor, Ontario, and the automotive industry, who seek to persuade a court that protesters need to be forcibly removed.
President Biden is involved now because of international trade concerns, and Michigan Governor Gretchen “Lockdown” Whitmer is also concerned that auto plants are being affected by a slowdown in parts availability. Funny, she never cared when she was the one imposing the lockdowns.
Local authorities and various governments in Canada are arguing over jurisdiction and worried that a show of force would spurn a violent response:
Federal, provincial and local authorities have hesitated to forcibly remove the self-proclaimed Freedom Convoy protesters there and elsewhere around the country, reflecting apparently a lack of manpower by local police, Canada’s reverence for free speech, and fear of violence. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens warned earlier this week that some of the truckers are “willing to die.”
Strike them down, and others may rise up in greater numbers. The truckers have held out this long, and they seem intent on hanging on as long as possible to assert their medical freedoms and call for an end to arbitrary Covid restrictions in Canada, and the United States, for that matter.
Our economy depends on trucking, and if drivers decide they wish to flex their muscles with a convoy protest, the effects will reach far and wide as they are now.
So far, some progress has been made in the way of medical freedom, and some Canadian provinces have buckled under pressure and dropped vaccine mandates:
A rapidly growing list of Canadian provinces moved to lift their COVID-19 restrictions as protesters decrying virus precautions kept up the pressure with truck blockades Wednesday in the capital and at key U.S. border crossings, including the economically vital bridge to Detroit.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Prince Edward Island announced plans this week to roll back some or all measures, with Alberta, Canada’s most conservative province, dropping its vaccine passport for places such as restaurants immediately and getting rid of masks at the end of the month.
The province of Ontario, however, says it’s digging in:
Ontario, Canada’s largest province with almost 40% of Canada’s population, is sticking to what it calls a “very cautious” approach to the pandemic and not backing down from a phased approach to lifting restrictions.
“We have no plans currently to drop the passport vaccination situation or masking. We believe that masking is going to be important for sometime to come,” said Ontario Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott, who added her government takes the advice of medical experts.
No one knows for sure how this is going to end, but it will likely force enough concessions from provincial governments that the truckers decide they’d made their point.
The other possibility is that Trudeau’s government will become desperate and start making arrests and towing trucks, perhaps leading to a violent confrontation.
Right now, it’s a standoff with both sides fully entrenched in the battle. The millions of dollars raised at GiveSendGo have now been frozen by a Canadian judge, though donations are still being accepted.
Freedom-lovers around the world are cheering on the truckers, hoping that the message is received in the walls of government loud and clear. You can push people only to a certain point before you’ve pushed them too far.
