By Michael Ferrel

I am impressed and inspired by the trucker’s convoy because they seem to embody the hero’s calling. They as individuals have answered a call out of their own conscience. They are venturing into an unknown and challenging situation, not knowing if they will succeed. Yet they know that they will be challenged and shamed for going against the will of the majority. They seem to trust in the process, even though they may be ruined by it. There is a possibility that they will eventually transform the society that they have opposed and inspire others, yet they may lose everything in the process. As a movement they hope, through their self-sacrifice, to bring about a less authoritarian society. This is the hero’s journey. I have spoken with some people who have been to Ottawa to support the truckers. They speak of a profound feeling of love and unity — in a humble way.

According to the media, “The government must act! The truckers’ convoy is a cover for extremists!” Yet they are not a blind mob, or people lacking sense and discrimination. Each person that is drawn to the protests is an individual. Each has their own reasons — what they are for, and what they are against. Many are in pain and feel the need to be heard. Some are simply there to bear witness to someone else’s suffering or loss.

About a year ago there was a Facebook group where people posted serious adverse reactions to the vaccine. It did not appear to be a “protest” group, but more like a grief support group. People posted about how a family member or a close friend died, or had become severely disabled shortly after receiving their Covid-19 vaccine. Sometimes comments were in the hundreds, often with very similar stories. Their grief was generally raw and undirected. They wanted to be heard, for their pain to be acknowledged. They were not organized. There was no “movement”. They were in shock. And I was shocked when Facebook shut down the group a couple months into world-wide vaccination.

Like the guideline, “follow the money,” you can also “follow the narrative.” Who is allowed to speak out? Who is the oracle of certainty? Whose voice is given authority? Who is being silenced or shamed? It takes courage to speak out and be vulnerable when others disagree and criticize. There is a diversity of reasons people have given in support of the truckers’ protests. Each person has their own reasons and goals and their own experience of oppression, coercion, loss, wrong, and fears about the future.

Canadians, as a rule, hate confrontation. They queue in line and tend to be patient and trusting. We generally respect authority and like to consider ourselves rational and well-educated. Unlike our southern neighbours, we did not rebel against the crown. We tend to downplay our patriotism. That may be in part because most Canadians originally came from somewhere else. As a country we have a small population and intimidate no one. We want everyone to “get along.”

At this moment, (mid-February 2022) the Ottawa trucker’s convoy is inspiring protests, not only around the country, but around the world. Total shocker! Who knew that our generally passive population would rally and raise our flag! It is not surprising that many here view this uprising with alarm. I imagine them saying: “It’s so American of them! Look how divided the USA has become. We can’t allow that to happen here! We want everyone to ‘get along,’ even if we must force them to.”

Canada is not really known for their non-conformists. There are a few remarkable heroes and heroines who stand out, who followed their own path. In the art world: Emily Carr; William Kurelek; the Group of Seven; and many others, less well-known. In sports: Wayne Gretzky; Elvis Stojko; Nancy Green; many queens and kings of the ice and snow. In politics — well I won’t go there. In medicine and science: Dr. Frederick Banting who discovered insulin; Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey, who raised the alarm about thalidomide; Dr. Norman Bethune who worked alone in rural China. A wide assortment of Canadians broke the mold they were supposed to accept. In diversity, there truly is strength!

In Canada, we have tended to take our freedom for granted. We didn’t fight for it. Our identity is still in development, slowly being defined. Presently Canadians are grieving the history of residential schools for native children, and related crimes against humanity that were allowed and condoned. The government believed that it had the right — even an obligation, to take freedoms away from children, families, and an entire people. Only now do we have a historical and moral perspective, which was missing before.

Freedom is a messy business. It generally means letting people follow their own interests. There may be conflict. We can ask the police or government to intervene. We can also have the courage to allow others, who mean no harm, to go about their daily life. The truckers and protesters are ordinary people, our neighbours. They have become heroes, in part, because they comprehend what is lost when someone’s freedoms are arbitrarily taken away. It is something very serious to consider. They have chosen this battle. Greatness has been put upon them, not because they are special, but because they must represent the many who are still afraid or unable to act or to speak. History will recognize them as representative of Canadians. They are braving the elements; a frosty winter in Ottawa and the cold shoulder of the federal and provincial governments. They are the ones who say, “enough, no more!” Unfortunately, the “peace, order, and good government” mandated by the constitution will likely mean that the government will move to end the standoff.

Some accuse those who refuse the vaccine of acting privileged, as if deserving of “special” treatment: “Why don’t they just take the vaccine! They must think themselves special!” The protesters dare to question the vaccine and all the forces behind it. They point out that many have been abused and stricken by the vaccinations, mandates, and lockdowns. This is the opposite of privilege; to have rights taken away, and then also be shamed for objecting.

We still have free speech in Canada. What we lack is a real dialogue about the risk and harms of the vaccinations. There has been limited organized resistance up to now, but the truckers have become a rallying point. A rally, not of experts, scientists, or politicians, but of ordinary people — all who have been pressured to receive the vaccine. It takes courage to ask why — to question and demand a fair hearing, and not go down quietly.