Where contradictions abound

It appears that waving a Canadian flag no longer signifies a shared heritage, but rather implies a divisive individualism.

If I understand correctly, truck drivers who are concerned about the loss of their livelihood, prompted by their own resistance to health regulations, took time off to drive across Timbuktu to a rally and stay as long as needed; not so concerned about working now.

They came to protest their lack of freedom, while taking the nation’s capital captive and trying to take the government hostage. They have come to unseat our government and restore ‘order,’ as reported by Radio Canada.

The actions of these staunch Canadians were influenced and fueled by foreigners with ties going all the way to the American insurrection, including Donald Trump himself and his son.

Even if the truckers succeeded in overturning the Canadian law concerning border crossings and vaccinations, they face the same law in the country they are traveling to and from. So, what is their point?

The Canadian Press reports that The Canadian Trucking Alliance has denounced the convoy protest, saying that more than 85 per cent of Canadian truck drivers who regularly cross the border are vaccinated.

Supply chain problems are due to some 16,000 truckers who have not complied with the vaccine mandate.

Their righteous “do no harm” passive protest has just caused extraordinary environmental harm with immeasurable amounts of fossil fuel spent on their unnecessary travel when they could have protested in their respective regions.

Someone likened this protest to our environmental gathering on Parliament Hill in 2019. But our protest did not involve having to hide the prime minister and his family; we did not exhaust the city’s security resources or have to borrow police forces from other regions — in 2019 I heard nothing of police confiscating guns from the participants of our rally; we did not proceed in violation of health regulations — I’m referring to crowds of people parading around together this past weekend unmasked.

In my opinion, everything about the trucker resistance and the movement they have created screams selfish tantrums with grandiose illusions.

All the time we take to debate the present health crisis is time not spent on environmental solutions.

Please guys! Stop whining and resisting and pick up a shovel and plant something. We don’t have time for this nonsense.

Denise Markhame is a resident of Val des Monts.