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.
Wow. This made me smile, laugh, and cry. Beautifully written. Thank you for being open minded and not being a victim of the mediamanipulation 🙂
Blessings on you and your wise walk in the night. You took us all with you. Thank you so very much!
Bravo, well done! Some of the most interesting times in my life have been when I’ve gone out of my way to put myself in uncomfortable circumstances. How are we to grow if we don’t attempt to gain a better understanding of such things? It seemed obvious that these truckers were being portrayed incorrectly, and yet there you are, letting us know first-hand.
Thank you!
A simple read, and an emotional one. This is not a complex matter, yet certainly a foundational one. Thank you
Their was a young fellow from PEI that a met there, he drove a 1984 Peterbilt with his own set of trains, he was hauling red oak from New Brunswick to British Colombia, his dispatcher called him on the phone and warned him not to go to Ottawa, well obviously we know how that ended, this was more important to him than his employment, I think of myself as a strong man but I was brought to tears multiple times, listening to stories, vaccinated or not, meeting my fellow Canadians in less than ideal conditions, made me proud to be Canadian and also left me bewildered how the powerful can without conscience outcast a group of the most wonderful blue collared people out there, all they want is the right to choose
Thank you for the great article.
I’m Canadian by choice, born and raised in Germany. I’m a farmer and I came here so my children would have a better future in farming. My family didn’t get the vaccine (we have all other vaccines and are not anti-vax) because we wanted to see more data and research done before taking the vaccine, unfortunately to this day there isn’t sufficient data presented for me and my family to get the vaccine. Because of all the lockdowns and restrictions, my son didn’t see a future for him in Canada and therefore he left Canada while he was still able to get onto an airplane.
It is my hope that the Convoy will accomplish that the mandates are being dropped and my son can return to Canada to carry on our family’s farming tradition.
I used to be proud to be Canadian unfortunately I couldn’t say that for the last few years.
Traveling with the convoy from south western Ontario towards Ottawa gave me hope and it was very emotional to see all the support along the way but that euphoria quickly disappeared when I watched our Main Stream Media reporting on the convoy and the protesters in Ottawa.
Thank you so much for writing this article
Dear Matt, I don’t know if you’re a man of Prayer. Personally I believe God is the originator of Freedom and no one has the right to take that away from us. I pray for truth and justice which Canada is sorely lacking these last few years. He freed the Israelites from the tyrant Pharaoh, and he won’t forget his people ever! He is with us always. 😇
What a beautiful thing to do
Bravo.
More street cred would be to change the title to: “A night with the Fringe Minority.” 😉
Join them!
Thank you David for sharing how you experienced the people of the convoy who are in the nation’s capital representing ALL Canadians.
cheers from the states. after seeing people finally stand up and do something up there… i’ve even started rooting for the Canadian futbol team.
Thank you for taking the time to share the views and reasons for why these brave, simple souls would choose to engage in this journey of peaceful noncompliance for much more than just themselves. As an American, I pray that an effort here in the States is done with such grace and dignity.
The only thing I’ve seen or read from people who actually live in Ottawa have been overly dramatic, selfish, and self-serving rants about truckers keeping them up all night and inconveniencing their lives. Your honest walk and talk with them is a refreshing read. I’ve read it more than once in an effort to experience what you experienced from my home here in Texas. How I wish I could have walked through those frozen streets with you.
From my perspective, no matter where they are, these professional drivers are, for the most part, viewed as either invisible or a large annoyance for those who hurry their way through life going from one place to another; those who refuse to see that without these people their own lives would not be so full of convenience.
I love road trips. Whether in my truck by myself or on the back of my husband’s Harley, the road is where I find peace and the time to contemplate and pray. I love sharing the road with these awesome machines and wondering what the lives of these drivers are like as I photograph that beautiful point of contact where their tires grip and overcome the pavement beneath them.
What an honor it must be for you to meet and speak with these humble heroes camping right outside your home. I know if I were in your shoes it would be difficult for me to not be out there with them constantly; listening to them and just observing the simple ways they choose to respond to the world around them. I believe they see and experience far more than those of us whose world is confined to a much smaller radius.
But then I always wanted to be a long haul truck driver.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to listen to them through your eyes, ears, heart, and words. By doing so, you have assisted them in their fight for the freedom from tyranny not only of Canadians, but people all over the world.
God bless you and God bless them.
Well written Kandy! Truly our Truckers are a humble bunch and most certainly deserve our praise and thanks for serving all of us in all that they do! To think that the mandates previously prevented them from taking showers @ usual stops was totally disgraceful. Shame on PM!
the mainstream media could take quite a few pointers from you. An excellent writeup and thank you for doing it. something else that makes me proud to be Canadian.
Beautiful article/testimony!
I love reading every single word: THANK YOU for taking the time!🙏🏾🤍♥️
Bless you, David, for moving out passed your comfort zone to connect with the community convoy of incredible folks. I appreciate your telling, for it allows me to share it far and wide and garnish the attention of those who may think the press posts accurate stories. We all now stand together and your writing helps convey this message of humanity across the nation. Consider it travelling in the wind, across the times zones and mountains ranges to the many whose ears are ready to hear. The truth is something that remains in us deeply and moves us to formidable peaceful action. Your words, read by many will carry such a potency to dare to care, connect, and act. Thank you.
I totally agree and look forward to sharing it all around. Just what we all need right now— a breath of fresh air! Thank you David for making a difference!
My disillusion with Canada over the past 5 years is high David. I am a Western Canadian and feel separation would maybe be best. I believe these feeling which only developed over the last few years are from the Liberal Party dividing this country for political gain. Your article reminds me that politicians are dividing us but we have to see beyond that. Your article provided me with a sense of Canadian pride that I haven’t had in a few years. The Convoy has done the same. Thank you for that. We need way more Davids and way less Justin’s. ❤️ 🇨🇦
A superb article David. I really trust that your job will be there for you on Monday.
This was beautifully written and I wish more people would go experience it for themselves. I was there and had a beautiful experience as well. Thank you for what you’ve brought to light.
Wow! Thank you for trying to understand. I read your bio, impressive. so thank you again, gives me hope that the civil service still employ’s compassionate critical thinkers.
One has to only remember these folks have done their parts, towed the line and went thru the motions like everyone else these past 2 years. The carrot has been dangled far too long, and people have wisened up that the end isn’t in sight.
Strong men need not wield power in abusive manners, but give weak men power and they will always abuse it.
Amen! I couldn’t have said it any better. Thank you for writing.
Beautifully written! Thank you 😊
David, I’ve read many of the comments about your journey through the hood. All of them filled with gratitude for your exploration, as I am. I have walked those streets in my youth, so imagined walking them again with you as the tale unfolded. You are a story teller my friend. You engaged us all with each stop along the way painting a picture of humanity in resolve to remain humanely connected. More than once I felt deeply moved at the slightest inclination as to where the conversation was leading. All encounters were heartfelt and honest. More than once I thought this is how news reporting should be. This alone underscores the enormous canyon between what was claimed as yesterdays honest, integral reporting and today’s swamp gas. Your curiosity of simply wanting to know and engage with an open heart and mind needs to be the new normal news reporting. You are a Mathematician with Heart/Math understanding, “The Rise of Collective Compassion”. Thank YOU!
Thank you for that heartfelt, honest account of your personal experience. Being a US citizen, it was a welcomed account proving that our neighbors to the North, are exactly like what the vast majority of American citizens are REALLY like. Hardworking, family oriented, GOOD people. The kind that mind our own business, and only want to do what WE feel is best for us personally. No one should be punished or threatened because of a personal medical decision.
I shared this on my FB. I hope that is okay. This is one of the most profound and thoughtful and intelligent thing I have read about the Freedom Convoy. Thank you.
This right here is what we need to hear more of! Bravo! You have a unique way of bring news in a heartfelt way!
Very well said and inspiring … thanks!
Thank you for this article. Great job!! It almost made me cry..check that..it did.. We just want the government over reach to stop and never let this happen again. Remember our charter rights are NOT conditional (unless demonstrably justified, which IMHO has never been proven/presented). These are the most peaceful loving people/patriots in the world and the freedom protest (rally) is inspiring, which is the reason the Government wants to shut them down. I had lost almost all hope of Canada returning to the country I grew in and have been besides myself on what I could do to effect change. This is the opportunity to do just that. Even though 1 of my adult children has taken exactly the opposite approach, I will continue to support on behalf of my children and my grandchildren. I cannot stand by and do absolutely nothing as our beloved country is turning into an authoritarian state.
You hit it right on the nail Scott: evil exists because Good men do nothing. Let us be part of the change we want to see.
David’s reporting on the truth is a good start.
Very well said THANK YOU we are free thanks to them (Knights of the Road)
10-4 and sorry for the inconvenience
Totally agree with Joe! Thank you Truckers for all you’re doing for this great country of ours. Though someone already said it south of the border, let’s make this country great again! All the best to your fight for freedom! We’re certainly with you— the Politicians & media know they’re the Fringe otherwise they wouldn’t find it necessary to twist their words on a daily basis!
I don’t agree with the protesters on much, but they don’t deserve to be misrepresented as they are by local media and politicians. You’ve done them – and all of us who care about knowledge and truth – a great service. From the bottom of my heart: thank you!
Thank you for giving us a resident’s experience from right amidst the convoy. Nicely written
Hi David,
I don’t know how to thank you enough for taking the time to go and meet the people involved, and for writing about it.
I’ve seen no end of posts by people who were starting to feel defeated. The truckers and their supporters have helped us to see that we are not alone, and we have hope again.
Thank you so much again.
Felt and spoken from the heart. Beautifully written. God bless you 🙏
Oh, David, this is splendid . . . courageous, insightful, compassionate, and inspiring! Thank you so very much for making the effort to engage with the protesters and to share your findings with the rest of us. The people of Canada are inspiring the entire world right now, and I’m beyond grateful to those like you who are telling the story as it is, in flat-out contradiction of the lies being told by the legacy media. Your post is being shared far and wide! Blessings to you.
Thank you, David. I live in Victoria. I do not like how we are being divided. Thank you for making the effort to bring us together. Thank you for telling your story. You are a great Canadian and you were in good company that night. Long may it continue.
I vote to eliminate the CBC immediately and have David do a 5 minute segment every evening on a subject of his choice. Best bit of reporting I have read in years as you paint an incredibly accurate portrait of what Canadians truly are – and just how out of touch our government truly is. Thank you
I live in Centertown too. Where are all the trade union flags?
I seem to recall they came out for May Day, Occupy Wall Street, and BLM. This is the first bona fide labour rally where the cause is uniquely for labour.
The PSAC offices are on Gilmore Street. The U of Ottawa has OPIRG, and was a staging ground for the Summit of the Americas protests, among many others down through the years.
Why are they not mobilizing to help out? Because they’re controlled opposition. Please prove me wrong.
maybe because the unions don’t support this action … just like the majority of truckers 🤷🏻♀️
So many of my “new” friends are there bravely making a stand for Freedom for everyone of us and inspiring worldwide participation… I loved your telling of what you experienced… it is so good to feel valued again … it has been a long time. Thank you so much!!!
Wonderful article. It put a tear in my eye, a lump in my throat, and filled me with pride to be Canadian. Bravo!
Glad you took the time to meet your new neighbours, and thanks for sharing it with the rest of us who can’t be there.
What a beautifully written piece! Thank you for sharing your thoughts – maybe send it to Mr. Trudeau – he seems to be out of touch with reality!
Sucha heartwarming article. My eyes welled up with tears, this is MY Canada, my home and native land. God bless the freedom fighters and I pray that they make Canada great again!!!
Let’s do what we can to boycott lamestream media, they are spreading nothing but hatred and poison to divide our country.
Thank you so much for your powerful and inspiring comments that reveal the truth about the truckers and dispel the nasty lies and smears of our legacy media. God bless!
Thank you – what a great experience to share.
What a beautiful & true write up!!
I felt like I was there with u while reading this
Well done & thank you for doing this!
Beautifully done. Thank you for this.
This is a great and important article, as it helps paint a more complete picture of what is happening in Ottawa.
Thank you for writing it.
We hear from the police chief, and the Prime Minister and reporters, but almost nothing from the perspective of a human talking about their experience with other humans.
I think it’s important that both sides of the vaxx argument remember that they both want to protect society.
The pro-vaxxers think that everyone should get the shot to protect the health of the society, and the non-vaxxinated think that it shouldn’t be mandated, and that they are protecting the freedoms of society.
Both sides are trying to do what they think is right, not just for themselves, but for society. Some people view health as the bigger threat, while others think the larger threat is freedom.
Also, while the convoy is likely a large pain for Ottawa citizens who are having their lives disrupted… it’s worth remembering that the people in the convoy would prefer to not be there also.
They would rather simply be “living”, but the vaccine mandates have taken away their freedoms and livelihoods to the point where they are prepared to endure this hardship to try to restore freedom.
It is unfortunate that the people of Ottawa are having their freedoms temporarily limited by the convoy, but it’s also important to recognize that many of the people in the convoy also had their freedoms involuntarily taken away.
I shared this article on LinkedIn, to more than 14,000 people from around the world.
Well said as well Dennis, lost my job of 28 years as well.
Well, that made me cry…
Thank for a very enlightening view of the people protesting in your town. It is so unfortunate that an arrogant government with an arrogant, self centered leader forgets that they a beholding to the people that put them in office. They don’t serve themselves they serve the wishes of the people and the good of this country. Their greatest fear is that their propaganda machine is failing to spin, twist and censor the truth of this Freedom Protest. Thank You again for your effort to bring some truth to the table.
This was an amazing account. Thank you for putting this out there – I am sharing this with everyone I can.
This reality is what I believe Canada is. This reality is what I want for my children. This reality is being drowned out by those with wealthier and louder voices – and so we must HONK!
Canada thanks you 🙂
Well put Brad— they must ‘Honk’— 2 years of lost freedom//Enough already & fire the twisted Media who have the ‘unacceptable views’!
Well written. Thank you for taking the time and having the humility to reach out to our fellow Canadians.
Thank you! …for stepping into the street to meet these committed Canadians. I live just 5 hours away and would love to experience this myself, but my life situation doesn’t allow for even that kind of freedom. So… thank you for walking me through the streets and allowing me to feel the spirit and bond of this diverse group that has brought us …hope