I live in downtown Ottawa, right in the middle of the trucker convoy protest. They are literally camped out below my bedroom window. My new neighbours moved in on Friday and they seem determined to stay. I have read a lot about what my new neighbours are supposedly like, mostly from reporters and columnists who write from distant vantage points somewhere in the media heartland of Canada. Apparently the people who inhabit the patch of asphalt next to my bedroom are white supremacists, racists, hatemongers, pseudo-Trumpian grifters, and even QAnon-style nutters. I have a perfect view down Kent Street – the absolute ground zero of the convoy. In the morning, I see some protesters emerge from their trucks to stretch their legs, but mostly throughout the day they remain in their cabs honking their horns. At night I see small groups huddled in quiet conversations in their new found companionship. There is no honking at night. What I haven’t noticed, not even once, are reporters from any of Canada’s news agencies walking among the trucks to find out who these people are. So last night, I decided to do just that – I introduced myself to my new neighbours.
At 10pm I started my walk along – and in – Kent Street. I felt nervous. Would these people shout at me? My clothes, my demeanour, even the way I walk screamed that I’m an outsider. All the trucks were aglow in the late evening mist, idling to maintain warmth, but all with ominously dark interiors. Standing in the middle of the convoy, I felt completely alone as though these giant monsters weren’t piloted by people but were instead autonomous transformer robots from some science fiction universe that had gone into recharging mode for the night. As I moved along I started to notice smatterings of people grouped together between the cabs sharing cigarettes or enjoying light laughs. I kept quiet and moved on. Nearby, I spotted a heavy duty pickup truck, and seeing the silhouette of a person in the driver’s seat, I waved. A young man, probably in his mid 20s, rolled down the window, said hello and I introduced myself. His girlfriend was reclined against the passenger side door with a pillow to prop her up as she watched a movie on her phone. I could easily tell it’s been an uncomfortable few nights. I asked how they felt and I told them I lived across the street. Immediate surprise washed over the young man’s face. He said, “You must hate us. But no one honks past 6pm!” That’s true. As someone who lives right on top of the convoy, there is no noise at night. I said, “No, I don’t hate anyone, but I wanted to find out about you.” The two were from Sudbury Ontario, having arrived on Friday with the bulk of the truckers. I ask what they hoped to achieve, and what they wanted. The young woman in the passenger seat moved forward, excited to share. They said that they didn’t want a country that forced people to get medical treatments such as vaccines. There was no hint of conspiracy theories in their conversation with me, not a hint of racist overtones or hateful demagoguery. I didn’t ask them if they had taken the vaccine, but they were adamant that they were not anti-vaxers.
The next man I ran into was standing in front of the big trucks at the head of the intersection. Past middle age and slightly rotund, he had a face that suggests a lifetime of working outdoors. I introduced myself and he told me he was from Cochrane, Ontario. He also proudly pointed out that he was the block captain who helped maintain order. I thought, oh no, he might be the one person keeping a lid on things; is it all that precarious? I delicately asked how hard his job was to keep the peace but I quickly learned that’s not really what he did. He organized the garbage collection among the cabs, put together snow removal crews to shovel the sidewalks and clear the snow that accumulates on the road. He even has a salting crew for the sidewalks. He proudly bellowed in an irrepressible laugh “We’re taking care of the roads and sidewalks better than the city.” I waved goodbye and continued to the next block.
My next encounter was with a man dressed in dark blue shop-floor coveralls. A wiry man of upper middle age, he seemed taciturn and stood a bit separated from the small crowd that formed behind his cab for a late night smoke. He hailed from the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. He owned his own rig, but he only drove truck occasionally, his main job being a self-employed heavy duty mechanic. He closed his shop to drive to Ottawa, because he said, “I don’t want my new granddaughter to live in a country that would strip the livelihood from someone for not getting vaccinated.” He introduced me to the group beside us. A younger crowd, I can remember their bearded faces, from Athabasca, Alberta, and Swift Current Saskatchewan. The weather had warmed, and it began to rain slightly, but they too were excited to tell me why they came to Ottawa. They felt that they needed to stand up to a government that doesn’t understand what their lives are like. To be honest, I don’t know what their lives are like either – a group of young men who work outside all day with tools that they don’t even own. Vaccine mandates are a bridge too far for them. But again, not a hint of anti-vax conspiracy theories or deranged ideology.
I made my way back through the trucks, my next stop leading me to a man of East Indian descent in conversation with a young man from Sylvan Lake, Alberta. They told me how they were following the news of O’Toole’s departure from the Conservative leadership and that they didn’t like how in government so much power has pooled into so few hands.
The rain began to get harder; I moved quickly through the intersection to the next block. This time I waved at a driver in one of the big rigs. Through the rain it was hard to see him, but he introduced himself, an older man, he had driven up from New Brunswick to lend his support. Just behind him some young men from Gaspésie, Quebec introduced themselves to me in their best English. At that time people started to notice me – this man from Ottawa who lives across the street – just having honest conversations with the convoy. Many felt a deep sense of abuse by a powerful government and that no one thinks they matter.
Behind the crowd from Gaspésie sat a stretch van, the kind you often see associated with industrial cleaners. I could see the shadow of a man leaning out from the back as he placed a small charcoal BBQ on the sidewalk next to his vehicle. He introduced himself and told me he was from one of the reservations on Manitoulin Island. Here I was in conversation with an Indigenous man who was fiercely proud to be part of the convoy. He showed me his medicine wheel and he pointed to its colours, red, black, white, and yellow. He said there is a message of healing in there for all the human races, that we can come together because we are all human. He said, “If you ever find yourself on Manitoulin Island, come to my reserve, I would love to show you my community.” I realized that I was witnessing something profound; I don’t know how to fully express it.
As the night wore on and the rain turned to snow, those conversations repeated themselves. The man from Newfoundland with his bullmastiff, a young couple from British Columbia, the group from Winnipeg that together form what they call “Manitoba Corner ” all of them with similar stories. At Manitoba Corner a boisterous heavily tattooed man spoke to me from the cab of his dually pickup truck – a man who had a look that would have fit right in on the set of some motorcycle movie – pointed out that there are no symbols of hate in the convoy. He said, “Yes there was some clown with a Nazi flag on the weekend, and we don’t know where he’s from, but I’ll tell you what, if we see anyone with a Nazi flag or a Confederate flag, we’ll kick his fucking teeth in. No one’s a Nazi here.” Manitoba Corner all gave a shout out to that.
As I finally made my way back home, after talking to dozens of truckers into the night, I realized I met someone from every province except PEI. They all have a deep love for this country. They believe in it. They believe in Canadians. These are the people that Canada relies on to build its infrastructure, deliver its goods, and fill the ranks of its military in times of war. The overwhelming concern they have is that the vaccine mandates are creating an untouchable class of Canadians. They didn’t make high-falutin arguments from Plato’s Republic, Locke’s treatises, or Bagehot’s interpretation of Westminster parliamentary systems. Instead, they see their government willing to push a class of people outside the boundaries of society, deny them a livelihood, and deny them full membership in the most welcoming country in the world; and they said enough. Last night I learned my new neighbours are not a monstrous faceless occupying mob. They are our moral conscience reminding us – with every blow of their horns – what we should have never forgotten: We are not a country that makes an untouchable class out of our citizens.
you may not be able to reach the world with this
It’s reached the US. Thanks!
Thank you David. Great story! I do not watch or listen to MSM but I can see that many Canadians unfortunately do and they … believe them?!!
You have no respect, David. Here you are, making a grown man cry.
🙂
God Bless You.
Thank you David for sharing your experience with the rest of Canada. Now if the shame stream media would go out and meet the protestors and truthfully report what these people are all about.
I gotta admit, might have got a little teary eyed over your story. Thank you and good bless.
Thank you for writing this and for having the curiosity to engage these men and women.
You words have had an emotional impact on me. It’s a sin the media can’t do what you just did and provide a true picture of what these patriots are trying to say and show the passion they possess to say to it.
Thanks from Nova Scotia for a little taste of what’s happening in your city!
David you know more about our Country and the great people then the evil thing we call PM and it only took you one evening while he has had six years.
IT appears if you have to hide behind the corrupt MSM and body guards to run one of the safest country’s in the world Then You are corrupt.
God bless those standing up for us especially our children.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to folks and write this up. I’ll be sharing it for sure. I’ve seen lots of video, but having it written out just drives home the message even better, it seems to me.
You have Loads of credit now for being courageous enough to go and look for yourself at what this is really about. I got teary eyed and heart warmed reading this. Thank you so much. (And as someone who doesn’t love math and loathed trying to help her kids with it, I give you all kinds of credit for doing math for a living!)
Time for us to cast off our Labels and come together peacefully as One Humanity.
We are One giant family of Humanity.
What affects One, affects us All.
We can bring Peace, Love and Prosperity to every Man, Woman and Child on Earth if we cast off our Labels and come together peacefully as One Humanity.
Thank you, David, for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences from ground zero. And thank you for sharing your wonderful gift of writing! I found myself engaged throughout and wanting there to be more. Keep it coming!
I think you’ve captured this moment in history best. I hope many will read this and be touched as you were by these amazing, hard-working, brave, freedom-loving Canadians.
David
Thank you, well written and well done. I am glad that you went out to meet your neighbours, and wrote so elegantly about it. I want to commend you on your personal courage to take action and look beyond the publicized narratives. I hope your experience inspires others.
Cheers
Thank you so much for writing this. I am going to share it with everyone I know. As someone in her sixth decade I never thought I would live to become an untouchable in my own country just because I didn’t want to put something in my body. I am grateful to the truckers for standing up for all of us.
This is sooo heartwarming. You have opened the eyes of many today. I will be sharing your thoughts to everyone I know.
I dread to think of what the coverage would be if it weren’t for the independent reporters, and people like you and Max Bernier. I realized several years ago that I could no longer count on MSM, (especially CBC) because it had been bought and sold. “Brain Dead Talking Head.” Sad.
So thank you very much, David.
This was the first I heard that there was no honking after 6PM. You wouldn’t know that from the videos of outraged residents berating the truckers. One hysterical person claimed to not have slept for 5 days.
I’m sure David Maybury learned a lot on his walkabout. I hope he does it again, and takes a friend with him.
Excellent article! I hope you will get put there with them. Now is the time. They are there to insist on freedom for the whole world, may God bless them!
David is doing the prime minister’s job which is listening and talking with truckers. Thank you for sharing.
Wow! I was a teary mess after reading this outlet to my hubby! Thank you so much for this “real” story. You wrote it so well, I could picture your journey through the night. This needs to go viral. May God bless you .Well done Sir!
Love this blog post! So well written. So honest. Is there a way for me to share it around?
I spoke with someone in the UK yesterday who is not aware of what is going on here – says he hasn’t seen anything about it in the news.
Wow. What an incredible story David . Thank you so much for giving your perspective.
What an opportunity you had that I can only wish for. We are so far from Ottawa and unable to attend in person but have been with theses heroes every step of the way in spirit and with our full support. They speak for so many of us that can’t have a physical presence.
Well done. You brought tears to my eyes with your honest commentary. Thank you!
Excellent post! Thank you very much for taking the time to go out and wander through the streets and meet some of the truckers, and then share it with the rest of us. Will be sharing this post!
The PM can fabricate all the venom and vitriol he wants. This is a peaceful protest, which the MSM chooses to ignore. Eventually, the truth comes out. Thank you David for your insight and perspective.
Thank you for this beautiful article. My kids were late for school because I couldn’t stop reading 😉 I strongly believe in the message of the truckers. I am not anti vaccine but absolutely pro choice and believe that we should live as we see fit (legally and peacefully of course). I am heartbroken because of the psychological damage that mask wearing has caused my autistic son. A simple thing but unbearable for someone with sensory issues. I am so sad for my grandmother in a care home. A woman that fled Nazi Germany and experienced many horrors that we are so lucky to not know firsthand who called me saying she wants to die because she can’t take the isolation anymore. Do not get me wrong, I believe we should protect our most vulnerable but there has to be another way. I think we have passed the point where the mandates are helpful and are doing more harm than good now. I thank you again and pray that many people see your article.
Thank you for sharing David. I was in Ottawa on the weekend and it amazing to Canadians from all walks of life coming together.
Rick
Timmins, Ontario
We all know what Trudeau and his tax funded media think of people like you. /s
I have overcome my media driven fear of covid by wearing two masks, one over each ear.
For some of us, who have had Covid, the fear is not by any means “media driven”. This holds particularly for the three widows in our townhouse complex, who lost their husbands to the virus. Others, who recovered, are still dealing with long-term effects of the disease!
No intelligent person would argue against the concept of freedom, but to remove all restraints, before the science deems it appropriate, would potentially destroy our health care system.
In the interest of fairness, I would also suggest that the current vaccine mandate does not prevent truckers doing their job; it does stop them driving across the border, which they would not be able to do anyway, because of similar restrictions in the US.
The trucks can come to the US, to cross back over they either need to be fully vax or 2 weeks holding. I drive to the border but don’t cross it. This is my understanding of the rules.
Thank you so much for leaving your comfort zone to find this beautiful truth. I’m proud to be a fellow Canadian.
David, please share your experience with the media. Specifically, Evan Solomon CTV host of power play airing daily at 3PM Calgary time. If your experience has merit, hopefully he will comment on air. I don’t know you so I have no idea if you actually live downtown Ottawa or if you are one of the protesters.
I’m with you dude and the mother-truckers. May their progeny make Canada the most admired place on the planet! Love from your brother John and my 7 grandkids.
How incredibly responsible of you to look outside the media box and find all of these things out for yourself!! This is beautifully written, I plan to share it far and wide. Thank you David!
Hello David,
I think you are about to get a lot of comments on your blog post !
I’m Caroline and I’m originally from Ireland, living in the U.S. now. Our family spends our time between both countries and have done that even through the pandemic. How each country handled this has been vastly different. Ireland locked down hard and put harsh restrictions in place. However, there were no real political associations with ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ vaccinations, and the majority of Irish people just got on with supporting each other as best they could and when the vaccines were rolled out, most did get vaccinated, just like in Canada.
I have been following the convoy {from here in Plymouth, Massachusetts} since it began and though not a mathematician like you, I did spent hours looking at data from Our World in Data and Johns Hopkins – Canadian vaccination rates are comparable to Ireland’s and above the U.S. by a good margin. On January 21st, two weeks ago today, Ireland dropped almost all restrictions – overnight!
I think everyone can agree that lockdowns and restrictions were the only response we had at the beginning but that does not hold true now. I believe they no longer serve any purpose except to cause hardship and division and mandating arbitrary rules that ostracize a portion of society is just so wrong.
I am so impressed with these wonderful Canadians and applaud their courage.
I will be sharing your blog post as I think it’s so important for the rest of the world to hear from real people who are right there in Ottawa. I hope you will go walkabout again over the weekend and write another update. You have a talent for storytelling.
Sending best wishes to you and your new neighbours !
sláinte !
Caroline
Video of Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s press conference raising Irish restrictions.
https://youtu.be/XDhPyqJIhBs
Thank you for good honest reporting, something seriously lacking in the media today! It will be interesting to see how that bought group of people will deal with themselves once the truth is exposed and how the world will deal with them. Please write and share another heartwarming story of your provincial journey around the neighborhood. We look forward to it. Leslie
It would be nice if our PM followed your example. There should never be an “us and them”.
Heartfelt thanks to you David from the wife of a jab-injured husband.
There is no such thing anymore as investigative journalism in the MSM. We would be thrilled if you would consider taking up that torch!
The local news entity reported nothing – zero – on the thousands of citizens that braved the frigid weather for hours on overpasses and roadsides in our community in order to show their support for this amazing convoy. I was proud to be among them.
I have become aware of and have spoken with very many people who immigrated to our beautiful land in order to escape totalitarian/tyrannical regimes. It is with tears in their eyes that they beg Canadians to wake up to what is happening here in Canada.
Amazing to hear from you David in the wild internet. Look forward to playing tennis again. Great piece.
Wow, I am so glad to hear another side of the story from someone living in Ottawa. I’ve heard from friends all the bad stuff that has happened from their friends living in Ottawa. Thank you for writing this. I will share this amongst all my friends. Although I know some will still only see the negative stuff they are seeing on the main steam media. Bless you❤️🇨🇦
This is so beautifully written! Thank you for taking the time. This is what we all should do, take time to listen to one another, not instantly label someone / some group because that is what MSM and / or some political elite class want to do.
Thank you David for taking the time to know the “truckers” and the supporters!
Peace & blessings,
Kristen
Wow thank you for sharing this brought me to tears. I’ve felt connected to this movement from the begging because my intuition has said it’s about Canadians who stand for the freedoms I want my children to experience and having you share this solidifies that. Bless you for taking the time to form and share truth about these real people who have real stories and care about Canada. ❤️🇨🇦☮️🕊
Thank you David, for saying what no MSM “reporter” has the ethics to say.
This was a refreshing article to read thank you! It would venture to add that many of these truckers and the people they represent are vaccinated and chose to do so. They are protecting the right to make that choice without the reality of being segregated yes, but they are ALSO frustrated with the freedom our government has to to shutter businesses, schools, sports dreams for teens, those who couldn’t hold a funeral, a wedding, the babies who have grown up not seeing human faces smile in public, and the repercussions of ALL the mandates. Not only the vaccine one. They’re here to ensure that as the threat of a public health disaster wanes, the rest of the mandates drop as well. At this stage they do more harm than benefit. I really appreciate you letting words and I hope many read this who have been subjected to only one side of the media machine. I’ll be sharing !
Thank you for giving us this viewpoint from someone actually living with the convoy. Your words express what I have been seeing from the many videos and interviews shown by independent journalists across Canada. Our country has been taken over by elitists, Trudeau included, and I am so proud of the freedom convoy for making Canadians’ voices heard. We are not “anti-vax” we are PRO-CHOICE! As a resident of Calgary, Alberta, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Let freedom reign.
It is so refreshing, heart warming to read Truth. No spin on anything, just what you experienced, nice piece of work. A tip of a hat to you sir.
Thank you, David, for not ignoring, not berating, not condescending these awesome people who finally had enough and had to stand up and do something. In turn, they’ve sparked hope and courage in so many more, not just in Canada. Proud to be Canadian again!
Thank you for sharing and taking the time to go out there and then writing about it! It filled my heart! People are people are just people who want to live and get back their lives! Prayers to everyone…stay safe!
I cried when I read this. Thank you. I went to the freedom convoy rally here in Regina on January 29th, and I was the happiest J have been in 2 years. The joy and elation and celebration in the air was hard to describe. Some of the truckers who drove through were crying with gratitude and overwhelm with the amount of people who came out to cheer for them.
I saw one media person and he didn’t stay long. He took some video footage very quickly then left. There were thousands of people there. I thought there would be plenty of media around to cover this event and I was hoping someone would come to interview attendants. No one did. Not a single person from the 3 main msm stations here. No one
Anyways. Thanks for your perspective and for taking the time to see for yourself and to share it with the rest of us. . It means so much coming from someone who lives there.
Thank you. Beautiful human encounters.
Wow, what an amazing experience you shared. Thank you for taking the time to find out the truth.
Thank you for your bravery. Bravery to go outside your comfort zone. Bravery to approach with an open mind and heart. And bravery to share such a honest piece of art with us.
If only more people would make the decision to see with their own eyes instead of letting their opinions be shaped by media and government. Thank you for this.