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 so much for your honesty. It’s very brave to stay neutral and investigate in these hard times. Thanks again 🙏
Jos (The Netherlands)
I enjoyed learning about your new neighbours!
Thank you for sharing your perspective and telling us what it was like for you to try on some of our fellow Canadians’ shoes.
Hopefully this neutral voice from the heart of the community will be shared with officials in Ottawa, to contrast with the misleading critique from mainstream media.
Did you know that in 1970 shortly after the Kent State shootings of student protesters by the National Guard, President Richard M. Nixon left the White House in the middle of the night to go to a protester encampment at the Lincoln Memorial to talk with them? Yet Canadian leaders hide and are afraid to do the same thing…
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-meets-anti-war-protestors-lincoln-memorial
Heart warming, thank you for this lovely information , we stand together, we are Canadian , God Bless you and God Bless Canada 🇨🇦
Thank-you for your letter! True story of Canada United explained! So appreciate your honesty and experience while Main Street media paints a different picture! Truth shall prevail !!!!!
I loved this beautifully written experience. Thank you for being open minded, for taking the time to discover the truth just outside your window, and for sharing this story.
THANK YOU for this.
The more we use our own time to listen and have conversations with others, the more we learn about ourselves. And the more we see what we all have in common. Thank you Dave “the Kent Street connector”. If you chat with our courageous and generous Freedom Convoy, please tell them we pray for them and their safety every night here in BC.
Powerful and well said article. Thank u for that
Hello David,
I felt compelled to reply out of a heartfelt gratitude for your honesty and goodwill. Too few people are willing to even take the simple (yet important) step you did – go see things for yourself. Too many people believe the lies being spread by corporate media, sh*t-stirrers on Twitter, and via unsubstantiated rumors. And that is why average, working-class citizens are being labeled fascists, racists, homophobes and “unacceptable”. You were brave enough to venture out and learn the truth. And for that, you should be THANKED!
I live in the U.S.A. So, why do I have an interest in what’s happening in Ottawa? Because both of our countries have been fractured in two by these mandates. Everyone is either PRO or ANTI. Our governments have sown division, and I fear the two polarized camps will be drawn into conflict unless something changes. In my view, the only peaceful way out is illustrated by your story. People must be allowed to contentiously object (as the Convoy is doing), and others must have the heart to respect and listen to them (as you did).
You, sir, are a HERO! You may not think you did anything so grand. But your actions may contribute to the freedom of us all – and save us from our own inhumanity to one another.
THANK YOU!
Thanks for your unfiltered observation and open perspectives on what is happening in your own backyard.
♥️🇨🇦
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We will get our Canada back 🇨🇦🙏🏼❤️
I heard about your article on Bret Weinstein’s Dark Horse Podcast. It is excellent. Thank you for writing it and I appreciate your humanity.
It’s like a great weight has lifted. Walking through some dense brush that opens up into a new and beautiful world. This is a feeling when you start to sift through the poisonous vines and destructive clouds of our government leaders and legacy media spin. I have broken through this as apparently you have as well David. Spreading a message of truth and hope like you have done here is a wonderful thing. All of us need to embrace humanity and reject divisiveness and seek our emancipation through truth. Thank you David for you honest writing and to Bret and Heather for referring many to your blog. I am with you my brother.
Thank you for sharing! So beautifully written truth. I’m from Indiana, we’re watching all this closely. These truckers are an inspiration, and a spark that has emboldened the rest of the world.
Such a glowing report and everyone loves it. Too good to be true, methinks. I wonder if someone is moderating/censoring unfavorable comments. Will mine ever appear?
many posts and not a single negative one. this is obviously phony. let’s see if this one gets deleted.
Thank you so much for writing this and helping to get the truth of what’s going on in Ottawa out there. It’s a shame that mainstream news is full of lies and propaganda. We need more people like you!
Thank you David,
We watched the morning news on City TV the other day and the news anchors reported that all the truckers (parked in Ottawa) disturbed the surrounding area by honking their horns all night. I didn’t want to believe this story; I haven’t seen a single protestor being interviewed on the news, but I wanted desperately not to believe the report. Thank you for your honest reporting David. I support this Freedom Rally and everyone involved! Thanks again David!
Good to hear a different perspective from the mainstream media. There’s always another side to every story.
Just curious, did you wear a mask on your walkabout? I’m not thinking as a Covid precaution, but as part of your “dress like an outsider” persona as part of the experiment. And, if so, how did that go?
Thank you so much David! Teary eyes too! You are showing exactly what I witnessed also last Sunday. The contrast between the good and the bad is becoming clearer moment by moment.
To see FACES was so amazing. One lady had a sign saying “Your face is beautiful” which also made me long for the return of faces everywhere and not just temporarily.
May God deliver us from evil indeed!
well said, thank you! I only wish the mainstream media would report what you have witnessed and experienced.
Huntsville/Parry Sound area
Pretty much what I’d expect from a physicist – objectivity. It is a stroke of luck for the country to have you living where you do. Not so good for CBC though.
I too live in Ottawa but in Orleans which is far from the action. I’ve seen many videos and heard a multitude of interviews from alternate media so knew that the truckers & protesters were well-behaved. This article moved me as it demonstrated the love the truckers have for our country as well as the respect they have for the city blocks they have set up camp in. Beautifully written, thank your brother for sharing.
Thank you so much for this in-person account of the situation in Ottawa.
These “salt-of-the-earth” Canadians have a common sense approach to life and a natural wisdom that many urbanites and progressives have lost. They love their country, they value freedom, they will not sacrifice it for government bribes or the frisson of joining with the mob to condemn their fellow citizens.
What courage!
It is evil to vilify and scapegoat a group of people, especially when it is done by politicians to deflect from their own incompetence and malfeasance.
Hi David, I translated you post. I hope it’s ok. Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/andre.favreau/
Thank you so much for this in-person account of the situation in Ottawa. These “salt-of-the-earth” Canadians have a common sense approach to life and a natural wisdom that many urbanites and progressives have lost. They love their country, they value freedom, they will not sacrifice it for government bribes or the frisson of joining with the mob to condemn their fellow citizens.
What courage!
It is evil to vilify and scapegoat a group of people, especially when it is done by politicians to deflect from their own incompetence and malfeasance.
Thank You so very much David for doing this!! It was Outstanding and brought tears to my eyes. I truly wish this would reach every single Canadian, the travesty of main stream media is so very disheartening! You raised a most Excellent question on why main stream media reporters are not doing exactly what you did??? Again Thank You and the Truckers for standing up.
Thank you for the incredible article. If only the naysayers would have the courage to walk among those they so easily vilify. A copy of this article should be sent to the new interim leader of the official opposition as well as to someone who could get this in the hands of the political leaders in the US….and Joe Rogan. It would be good to send a copy to our prime minister as well but it may fall into the category of “don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.”
Thank you truckers and thank you to the hundreds that responded positively to this article. One negative response and one iffy. Shows the real sentiment of Canada and our American neighbours.
Maybe a copy should also go to the executives at Spotify who are being fed the narrative by the mainstream media and the frustrated police chief.
Where were / are the politicians? Why have they refused to at least meet & talk with the Convoy? Trudeau says Canadians are disappointed, are offended? Bullturd, he hasn’t talked to a single one of us. Looking at himself in a mirror in the Cottage is NOT talking with Canadians.
Thank You so very much David, this was Outstanding and brought tears to my eyes!!! I so wish this would hit main stream so that every single Canadian would know the truth. Why aren’t main stream media reporters doing exactly what you did? This narrative has been so negatively skewed that it is frightening that more people aren’t questioning! Again Thank You 😊
I loved what you wrote. You are a writer! I was moved. I felt I was beside you as you walked along. I would love nothing more to see your take on what you’ve been witnessing over the course of this history in the making. Your heart is in it, I can tell. You tell it like you see and feel it. I will be waiting for your book to be published, and it will….believe it. Nice work.
What an amazingly beautiful experience you witnessed and shared with us ! Tears of Pride formed a couple of times while reading this especially poignant message that EVERY CANADIAN should take the time to read ! Together we ALL will get through this hellish nightmare as Good ALWAYS Defeats Evil !!!
Thank you David for your very heartfelt beautiful article. I would like to see your article on the editorial page of every newspaper in Canada but it wont happen so I am circulating it to everyone I know. The mainstream media journalists in our country would learn a lot about the truckers in Ottawa by reading your articulate article. Thanks again as you made my day.
John a highway engineering in Alberta.
If you live on Kent Street you are a bit removed from the epicentre … we live 4 blocks directly south of Parliament Hill and are having a very different experience. Horns are honking all night. We have been accosted when walking down our street wearing a mask. We don’t feel safe.
Glad your new neighbours are more considerate …
I am 6 blocks south of Parliament Hill on Kent Street. I’m approving comments at 1:56 in the morning and it is perfectly quiet.
I wore mask right directly in the protest site, right near the `defaced’ Terry Fox statue. No one said boo to me.
What a wonderful account of the Freedom Convoy. It mirrors my experience also. Thank you! Alan
Thank you for going out and getting their story…it is amazing what they are doing…sacrifices they are making to fight for freedom…I can tell you…USA is watching…many supporting Canada’s convoy….America will be forming one real soon…please keep interviewing and spread it wide for the world to read. Thank you! Republic, Ohio, USA
I must say that this was a very heartfelt story and I truly appreciated reading about your experience with these individuals.
Thank You for your write up! Simply Beautiful! Brought tears of happiness reading your words. I am from PEI. lived there most of my life. Moved to New Brunswick a few years ago.
PEI holds my heart until I go home to live again.
Although PEI may not have big numbers in Ottawa attending the convoy rally, there are many Islanders who support them from afar.
For me, personally these truckers have given me something that I have been searching for…a. glimmer of hope during tumultuous times. That small glimmer I felt as they began their journey, grew as they travelled across the county. I felt a unity I haven’t felt for some time. We may not be there to stand bedside them, however we are with them in heart and spirit. We give all our love and prayers to them while they stand on the ground for our rights and freedoms.
A country divided uniting to heal.
Again, I thank you for your write up, stepping out and introducing yourself to your neighbour’s, we need more individuals like you.
Speaking as a (retired) physician who believes in vaccines, (as I know from your other posts that you do also), I am most impressed by the humanity of your posting. Thank you for doing this. I do hope these decent people don’t get caught up in something bigger than themselves and end up hurt, by anyone.
What an incredible piece of writing. I’ve re-read it 3 times.
Delightful.
Inspiring.
Magical.
Proud of you, and proud of the protesters. For the first time in many years I’m proud to be Canadian.
Signed,
Fringe Minority Member with unacceptable views
Lovely article. My Mom tried to share this with me through FB and it banned it and had to use email.
Maybe as it doesn’t paint the picture the powers that be want painted?
I appreciate you taking the time to do this. Much love ❤ PEI
Sadly, no one from PEI
Thank you for sharing your open mind and heart. Your words bring me a glimmer of hope.
Great story David. Well done!
thank you David for braving a night out with those evil truckers! and for bringing together so many readers with their wonderful comments.
I’m near Vancouver, BC, where media lies and hate of these “anti-vaxxer grifters in trucks” prevail. Take that $10 mil and give it to OUR lefty charities!
Your honest, down-to-earth account of the night out makes me know we are good people. Silly, polite Canadians just happen to be the bravest, kindest and determined folks evah!
God Bless You and know you will walk safe streets as long as the truckers are there.
JettieG
New Westminster, BC
Thank you so much for taking the time to approach this topic without bias & without politics — to provide an honest account of what’s happening on the ground.
Nice write up. But I cannot imagine putting up with the truck horns all day. That would lead to mental breakdowns. They dont hear it in Parlaiment. So the residents are being punished. I have a story to tell also. 30 years ago a virus was found to be in our area, and it was 70% fatal. I had an option, shave my beard and wear hepa filters and paper suit and goggles, gloves etc. when cleaning up, or quit my job. I shaved to to keep my family with income, and not get sick and die. This was hantavirus, and I had to clean up mouse infestations in electronic equipment in cabinets outside. I could have quit and stand for not being told what to do by the “man”. I had the freedom to choose, it was totally on me. I had a more than 30 years on the job and retired knowing my family was taken care of. Once the buildings and cabinets had been mouseproofed, I grew my beard back. No issues, no hassles, no protest.
Thank you for sharing the truth that the media won’t. I’m a half Cuban and half Costa Rican born in Canada. My grandfather 40 years ago escaped Cuba to give his wife and 7 daughters freedom. 3 year journey to get to his final destination “Canada”. My grandfather passed away in 2018. He doesn’t know the Canada that is now and he would feel so disappointed all his efforts escaping Cuba to be in vain. So thats why I stand for freedom and many of my family does because we know what is having the freedom taken away. We don’t take it for granted. Freedom has been a blessing to have being in this country. The main reason why my grandfather came to Canada was because it’s a free country and I want my kids to continue to see that and generations to come. Thank you for your blog.
Don’t worry, it’s not in vain. For all its shame, failings and disappointments, Canada is still a beautiful place. We always build a better country.
That is a fantastic write-up. I hope you submit it to be published across Canada. We need positives like this to counter the Trudeau-CBC divisiveness. Thank you!