Dear Editor:
The trucker convoy has drawn a lot of attention this past week and unfortunately the mainstream news has focused on any negative aspects there may have been, even though all the predicted alarm of potential violence did not happen.
There were individuals that took advantage of the situation to express their own ideals but this is nothing new and can be anticipated at any demonstration.
Maybe we need a reminder of what Prime Minister Trudeau said last year. In a Quebec television interview Trudeau said “They don’t believe in science/progress and are very often misogynistic and racist.” I am not sure this expresses the inclusive, non judgemental, progressive stance that Trudeau claims he is committed to.
Some may not be aware of the “notwithstanding clause” in the Canadian Charter that allows a majority to override the fundamental rights of a minority. Trudeau himself says “it is not a good thing” but willingly uses it for the COVID mandates. On the other hand, he doesn’t want it used against religious freedoms as in the case of Quebec’s Bill 21, specifically the case where a Grade 3 teacher, Fatemah Anvar, lost her job because she was wearing a hijab.
Is it really a surprise that great numbers of people are upset with him? Trudeau had nothing positive to say about the convoy and seems unwilling to address the situation.
Maybe he thinks everything is okay and people are just overreacting to his example of leadership. Time will tell.
Michael Thorp,
Mount Forest
*Editor’s note: Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights, also known as the notwithstanding clause, allows governments to introduce a law that can override aspects of the charter for a certain time period. It has not been used by Trudeau to enact “COVID mandates.” In the case of Bill 21, the province of Quebec invoked the notwithstanding clause, meaning the law couldn’t be challenged on the grounds that it violated the charter.