It’s hard to imagine how just a couple of weeks ago, we Canadians were subject to a bombardment of protest by a “freedom convoy” and their breathless supporters about how our country is ruled by a tyrant, how our media is full of lies, and how our freedom has been stolen. This now seems like a distant memory, but sometimes history moves extremely quickly.
Since then, an actual tyrant has sent Russia’s sons to die in a war of aggression. Thousands of Russian citizens have now been imprisoned for simply protesting their own government’s actions, police crack down in their cities to prevent others from joining the protests, and the Russian state-controlled media manufactures disinformation and propaganda. And tragically, it’s now the Ukrainian people being subjected to bombardment, not of protests, but of actual bombs and missiles.
All I can say is thank God I live in Canada. These people, who were free to abuse Ottawa residents and block our borders and trade all those weeks, they should be thankful too. They were given all the time in the world to have their say and make their point … and when they finally outstayed even this most generous of welcomes, they were treated carefully and respectfully by police. No crackdowns, no deaths, just a handful of arrests. Restoration of order, Canada style.
Does the convoy understand now what real tyranny and oppression looks like? Will at least some of them realize, as the city skyline of Ottawa fades in their rear view mirrors, how much closer freedom is than it appeared?
Chris Klein,
Fergus