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.
Thank you
What a great piece of unbiased report of the Ottawa downtown core. As I read this, I cannot help but question where is the mainstream media in this? Where are their independent facts coming from?
Tears of gratitude for this incredible piece of writing and your bravery, David. I literally cried, while reading, from the mention of the new granddaughter on. ( I have one of those, too. ) Then sobbed for a good ten minutes afterwards. Your honesty is so refreshing and a total relief. Thank you so much!
This is an incredible piece. I have visited with the truckers downtown and also on the parkway. As someone who took the first vaccine and had an adverse event, I am well aware how dehumanizing and sad these mandates are. I love your honest portrayal of our fellow countrymen and women! I had wonderful conversations with them as well.
Thank you for showing the truth of who the protestors are. I stood on an overpass with hundreds of Canadians, waving flags, cheering, calling for freedom from tyranny. I was proud that my teenage son wanted to go, to stand up for the rights and freedoms of all human beings. It was a beautiful, happy day, we felt so much at home with this cheering, smiling group from all races, ages, and walks of life. I put this video on Twitter and have been called many nasty names by people who are falling for the propaganda. Thank you for telling this story, and for wanting to know the truth.
Wonderful text. Excelent job. Greetings from Brazil.
Hi David, this is beautifully written, thank you so much for sharing! Canadians need real residents, boots on the ground, sharing the TRUTH. I have a few questions and would really like to connect asap if you could please email me or connect on social would be greatly appreciated.
Dear David, and you all there,
thank you, this is really a beautiful story, that I am reading from Italy while dreaming about your beautiful country and people. We all hold strong, in the face to this panMeDia, and resisting to the huge hypnotic power that brought such a sorrow to most of the free people of the world.
Unite we stand, unite we rise.
Best and warm wishes, Lorenz.
ps. I am a physicist as well 🙂
Beautifully written by someone willing to talk to people in an open manner. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Amazing.
Great job, David…in oh so many ways. Thank you.
What an incredible read. This was the most well written blog I have read in a very long time. Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope more people will be as brave as you were – to face the fear of the unknown and just talk to these truckers. God bless.
Well written! Thank you for stepping out into the fringe! and asking the questions mainstream media should be. I am a Canadian living in the USA. I’ve never been more proud of Canada and Canadians! Maybe after this we will be known for the country that stood up to the “bullies”, instead of the country that says “sorry”!
And why can’t we have ‘main stream’ reporters giving an honest report of what is actually happening? I hope and pray that we can get our country and its freedoms back.
I realized from the end of 2019 that the media and the corrupt government are one and the same. I cancelled my cable and looked for my news elsewhere and prayed that other people would wake up and see what was going on. Thought I was alone lots of days. You all have expressed yourselves so beautifully, I can only say to everyone and all Truckers, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU.♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️🇨🇦♥️
One would think our media would give you a bigger platform to share your experiences…but alas you’re countering the propaganda they’ve decided to inundate us with. Bravo and thank you for having the courage to speak truth.
Amen!
David, such profound and honest words!
Typing with tears streaming down my face and a patriotic swell in my heart, I can’t thank you enough for being so open and honest.
‘This Canada’ is much different than the Canada I grew up in…I was beginning to loose hope for such an amazing country. The messages from the government over the past few years have suggested that we are a nation of racists, environmental saboteurs, bigots, anti-vaxers, red-necks , the list goes on and on.
I remember traveling and people commenting how awesome Canadians are. How we were informed, polite and always welcoming to any culture, religion, race and request. How we stood when others coward, how we engaged when other withdrew, how we step forward while other retreated. They spoke of selflessness and bravery and an overwhelming sense that things would be okay as long as the Canadians were there. They loved that we always said ‘sorry’ even when it wasn’t needed or required. They knew we wore the Canadian Flag on our packs and gear, not for show or ego, but because we were so dam proud of our country and of the people we represented while away from home.
Your article should be required reading in journalism schools, and your actions should be encouraged by our politicians!
Thank you from a humble and grateful Canadian
I sit in my Jeep in Fort St John BC in front of my children’s gymnastics club. I am unable to go into this facility because of the choices I have made. I have friends with boots on the ground in Ottawa. They have left families and jobs to stand up to the tyrants of our government. Your story gave me hope and brought me to tears. Thank you for taking the time to realize what our journey and our friends and families sacrifices are for and that through it all we remain peaceful and clear in our message, FREEDOM FOR ALL. Freedom to choose what is best for us and our families. You are a bright light today.
Navenda Wright
Absolutely— Thank you David for putting words to our hope in action! You and the Truckers are what it is to be Canadian: truthful and peace loving.
All freedom loving Canadians thank You! from the bottom of our hearts.
Absolutely LOVED your honest reporting & your miraculous awakening journey, David!!!!!!! It is these cracks in the MSM narrative that are arousing those who have bought the lies about the truckers, their supporters, delving into the very deep dives of the virus, the shots , the ‘science’, measures ruthlessly imposed and lack of debate emanating from anyone who dares to possess a differing viewpoint. These inconsistencies regarding the truth vs. what’s expressed by MSM will be responsible for the awakening of many and for penetrating the psychosis that has enveloped much of society both in Canada & abroad. May citizens of Canada & the world stay alert to contemporary issues, to the encroaching powers their governments have seized for themselves, for the continuing grab of God-given freedoms using the ruse of health, climate or resources etc. Let’s always be vigilant about evil, greed, power, might & the machinations of creatures possessing these qualities disguised as caring, & compassionate… So much more to say, David. What an avalanche of thoughts you’ve spawned….
Thank you David, for your walk. I am a Canadian, living in Pennsylvania, and had given up on Canada! Thank you truck drivers! Thank you.
❤❤❤ your reply!! Wow, yes!
How beautiful and honest! I literally felt like I was meeting some of these fabulous people with you. Thank you for warming my heart. The Canada we all knew and love is still alive.
Thank you, David, You are a true Canadian, you actually went out and talked to your new neighbours and learned about the diversity of them. You taught us readers that their is more than Big old Redneck White Truckers parked on the streets Honking Horns and harassing people. The decaying mainstream media plays on it by if it bleeds it leads. They know they are in trouble desperate for attention and of course they are only doing what their Masters are telling them.
Thank you for honest writing and opening our eyes and minds to what is really going on at neighbour level.
Math man can write. “Professional” stenographers, take note.
This is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for lending your voice to counter the hate and complete misrepresentation of this movement by mainstream media. If only more public servants would speak in support of their fellow Canadians.
David, thank you for taking the time to meet some of the “fringe minority with unacceptable views” and to listen to their concerns, which our PM & politicians should have done long ago. They, like the rest of us, just want our freedom back. I’m so proud of them for what they’re doing for EVERY CANADIAN, even though some may not appreciate what this means for them. Mainstream media cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Your heartfelt conversations confirm the fact that these people are ordinary Canadians – passionate, kind, peace-loving people who just want a future for themselves, their children and grandchildren. God bless you for sharing, and God bless the truckers and everyone who’s gone out of their way to make this convoy happen. My hope is being restored!
Thank you. Would you like to be Prime Minister?
The world is a lot different, when you step boldly into it. The most striking realization in doing so is, it’s nothing as seen through a window on the tenth floor, or the screen of a television.
Thank you for this.
Thank you for your patience, honesty and for reporting your discovery publicly. I took the liberty to share it on Facebook (I’m CPR Fayek there). Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your heart and your experience. Following this movement for freedom from Colorado USA (Avalanche country for hockey people)
The movement the truckers started last week has shocked and inspired me. I have new IG friends from all walks of life and around the world. The unity displayed by the people of Canada in this peaceful protest has been seen around the world and we can only hope it trickles down to us.
I’m so happy you had the positive experiences on your walk about and it brought a tear to my eye to read every well-written word of what you wrote. God speed Canada 🇨🇦
Dear Sir,
This brought me to tears. You have expressed what so much of the world understands about these men and women. You should be hired by CBC to give them some credibility.
I lived in Ottawa for 2 years from 2014-16 as a U.S. Embassy family. I personally felt the ire and harassment of Ottawa Public Health who removed my healthy 5th grader from class until he was “up to date” on jabs. I had already had a “V” injured child and I was making a choice for my other child. It stained our time there. I relented to his jabs under duress and 2 weeks later, my child’s immune system went into a tailspin, he got the diseases he was jabbed for and his health will never be the same. Families want choice. They know their kids better than any politician. Employees want choice. They know their bodies better than govt. This is what these brave men and women are fighting for and watching their live videos and showing their vulnerability and reasons why resonates with the world. But the legacy media can’t let that be known. Abundant blessings to you for allowing this to be known. I pray that one day, my unvaxxed family can return to your country. We absolutely loved it there despite this happening. I watch the events there on the streets where we have so many beautiful memories and I want to be there with all of them! Again, thank you.
Today I learned that my company took away my performance bonuses because I tried to stand up (by asking questions on behalf of my team) to mandatory vaccines. That was 5 months ago. All I’ve done is given my heart and soul to both the company and team for the past 22 years. I got vaccinated against my will to keep my job and now they are punishing me finiancially for not towing the line immediately.
I needed to read this kindness today. And I cried. Thank-you.
The situation you describe is unbelievable! I cannot imagine company management being that vindictive and soulless. I hope they rectify it as soon as possible. Good for you for revealing what happened!
Thank you so much for writing the truth. I was there in Ottawa last weekend and witnessed the brother hood and love. It was a powerful reminder, the truckers are pure intentioned, good hearted and loving. But they will not bow to insanity.
For two years Trudeau
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and thank you for your curiosity and the courage to venture out and follow it. The world needs more people like yourself, like the truck drivers and all the people standing up in support of our God given rights for Life, Love & Liberty.
And I agree with Wendy and it should be emphasized……. this is not about “anti” anything…. it’s about everything “pro”……… family, friends, neighbours, community, the grassroots and backbone of the country that know what it truly is to be Canadian, our True North Strong and FREE !
You have done the one thing the Government has completely failed to do: you actually talked to the protest participants! What a concept!
This is absolutely incredible, beautiful to read, thank you ❤️ from the UK
So Proud and thank you for reporting the truth. So sad to hear the negative remarks from PM and his paid main media that continue to report false hateful news.
God will protect and guide this honest hard working truckers -we love you – pray for your safety and love you.
Blessing
Thank you, sir, for this eloquent narrative. And thanks still more for being such a good neighbour to your “new neighbours”!
Your essay was recommended to me by a member of Canadian Academics for Covid Ethics, a group of scholars and professors doing their best to bring our fevered public discourse back into contact with reality and real human relationships. Your evening walk was a powerful vindication of sanity.
This is excellent. I will share it because it is not at all what is being portrayed on TV. Thank you for writing and sharing it.
As I got toward the end of your piece, I started to cry. The first time anything written during this entire (pandemic, scamdemic or plandemic) has had that effect on me. I am against mandated injections. I did not take the jab. People on the twitter sites of some well known bloggers, like Nora Loreto (& Nora herself) have been ‘othering’ the protesters in a vicious way. They seem to think they are dangerous, nasty people. I’ve been trying to tell them these are average Canadians, but the perceived political divide seems to be the problem. They are assumed to be big C Conservatives. They are labelled as “rednecks”, “filth”-that from a 20 year radio announcer. But I have been following their TikToks & Youtube videos & these people are no different than a lot of people I went to school with in Nova Scotia. Thanks for this piece & for taking the time to meet some of the protesters.
Simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. You made my day.
Great uplifting piece.
So many people are realizing that the mainstream media is toxic and polluting minds.
So, here’s an idea.
Why don’t we all turn off the CBC and affiliated networks, and search instead for credible information
that is uplifting and truthful.
If you want to change something, boycott it !
That is especially true of the media.
Well said sir 🙏🏻👍🏼
Thank you for sharing your experience! I felt like I was there walking the, not as scary as the media makes it out to be, streets of downtown Ottawa with you. If you ever get tired of your day job, it seems that you have a knack for investigative journalism.
One day I’ll be able to tell my daughters (4 and 2) that a bunch of brave truckers and conscious, hard working Canadians took a stand for them – for their right to choose what happens to their bodies, their right to move freely without being discriminated against or segregated, their right to a normal education in a real school building + without masks, their right to access health care, and their right to be heard. I’ll also tell them a bunch cool Ottawans also put up with them 🙂
I’ll tell them these brave group of people included men, women, children, and they spoke French and English, they included Canadians that were born in Canada and Canadians that immigrated from Poland, Russia, Africa, China, Philippines, India, Serbia, Haiti, Colombia, etc – yet were labelled as racist, disruptive, anti-vax, science-denying intimidators.
They will ask me why, I will tell them, and I’ll share written accounts of compassionate, curious and courageous Canadians, like this. Thank you!
https://maybury.ca/the-reformed-physicist/2022/02/03/a-night-with-the-untouchables/
Good job buddy, welcome to my home anytime!
I watch and read how you are all doing. I am full of admiration and hope for human kind and pray you win the struggle. This will strike fear into the globalists who want to control all of us. I am from Liverpool in the UK. You are awesome. You will never walk alone YNWA 💪🇬🇧
Good stuff! Thanks David!
David, I was so moved by your post. As a public servant myself I have started to loose hope in our humanity, our understanding of right and wrong and lack of compassion for our fellow citizens. Unfortunately, in the last 6 months, my fellow public servants have demonstrated that they are true servants with very little public benefit in the mix. They forget that executing orders never absolved anyone from lawful, ethical and moral responsibility. These men and women are a living example to our children that we should fight for freedom and never give it up. We owe it to our children and our veterans who fought for what we take for granted today. Thank you for telling the truth!
Amen! to that, it bears repeating as Survivors of the Holocaust know full well: executing orders never absolved anyone from lawful, ethical and moral responsibility. Are you listening Politicians? the Media?
Thank you for your article David. The stories shared with you by the individual truckers is desperately needed right now. Your desire and open heart to engage brought me to tears.
Thank you, David Maybury, for doing a walk-around and meeting with the protesters, something our PM and media is unwilling to do. It’s saddening to read/listen to the obvious bias against the protesters in our media and extremely disheartening (to say the least) to hear the vitriol spewing from our PM’s lips. As a teacher of history, I can tell you that your action of actually talking with and then writing about the protesters took courage and leadership, something sadly missing in our present government. I hope your well-written piece is shared widely. You might want to send it to our PM and a few others in our government. They need to open their eyes to the truth of this protest.