Anti-COVID Mandate challenges…. More than a little confused here.

 I’m not often as confused or perplexed by the actions of others as I currently am in regards to the “freedom” rally/Convoy.  I mean the total number of people we have lost in Canada due to covid is 35K and we have had more than 3 MILLION people infected, many of whom now suffer from what is called “Long Covid” or the effects have really taken their toll on them. Also, the world has seen over 399 MILLION cases of Covid and we have seen nearly 6 Million deaths! I personally know around a dozen people who have had it and I have lost 6 people from Covid. Covid has infested our lives for over two years now, and I get it…we are all fatigued by it.  We don’t want to hear about it, we don’t want to talk about it, we don’t want to be lectured or told how its important to do what ever it is we need to do to contain and maintain it.  I also think we lost our perspective a bit in other ways.

The whole “Lock down” and “Mandates” were set up to help the health care system not fall apart in most countries, I don’t think it was actually set up to stop the outbreak, we knew that it was not going to be stoppable as it had the same transmutability of a flu like virus and not like one of the others we had faced. I mean we had SARS and others we had battled the last few decades, but this was uniquely transmittable and dangerous.  Lots of people came out early on and said “It’s the flu” or “its like the flu” and while they may have had some merit to that assessment, it became so much more. 

 

So, we fast forward to a few weeks back. We have lived through two lock downs (in Manitoba where I live) and mask mandates that are still in effect, as well as a vaccine mandate for many things, mostly those involving activities where people from different homes were to be around each other. We first did not have vaccines and it was all we had to protect the general public. In a short period of time, we had people YELLING that they wanted a vaccine and not to have to wear masks or segregate from one and other, they wanted life back to NORMAL damn it!

Finally, the government came out and said “We got a vaccine” and people rejoiced…for like five minutes, then people started saying that they were not going to put that “Stuff” in their bodies, it was “Experimental” and or various other silly things…Im still upset I do not get 5G right now! People who had received mumps, rubella, chicken pocks and a variety of other childhood vaccines were not suddenly against vaccines.  I know of one person who had traveled to the far east a few years back and who had received yellow fever vaccine and they were so dead set against this new vaccine it was laughable.

 

A big shift had occurred just prior to 2016 in the states as well that was starting to make its way up north of the boarder, as do most things…like Starbucks and McDonalds. The chasm created by polarizing popularity politics was starting to create ripples here and while we have always had a Right and Left in Canada both sides seemed farther apart than before.  Our Liberal party, who is about as central as you can get when you look at Canadian politics (meaning not that central but kinda) was under fire by the far right and the far left. Never left enough for the NDP and far left advocates and not even close enough to the center for the Cons or the far right they were in power at a very horrible time seeing a COVID landed square in their laps to mandate, control and counter. 

The major issues that came because of the polarization, that was honestly sort of an issue before or we would not have separate political parties….was first the attack on the Media and the realization that some media outlets were more left or right than others. It got so bad that recently at the “Freedom rally” in Ottawa and Toronto media were told they would be killed after some kind of fascist trial.  It was kind of scary when people who insist on being able to speak their mind threaten those that are reporting and using the freedom of the press. People want someone to blame for the issues and you can’t blame a microbe sized virus! So, they blame the media, government or even the front-line workers. Its ridiculous and childish, but its common right now.

The far right seems to be fringy and a very small, but super vocal minority. They also have the ability to manipulate different media to get a message out that is confusing enough that those on the fence take notice and THINK they are saying what they are thinking, but the reality is that the message is masking a lot of hate and an agenda to take over. The new brown shirts are getting their message out and the ignorant and naive are lapping it up. But what is this specific protest about and who is in control of it?

 

                The first thing to make note of is that the mandates are supported by most people. The specific ones that the convoy are against would be the mandates against employees not being vaccinated in Union and federal supported/related shops, which of course stretches out to truck drivers. Its super important to note that ALL challenges against the mandate have failed and were shot down using logical reason. In a decision brought against Hydro one by the Union for the requirement of all workers to be vaccinated, the courts did not hear the case, they sent it to arbitration….who stated that “Hydro One is complying with  their obligations under the Occupational health and safety act to make reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of their employees and the public that they serve”. Two other major cases ended the same way.  Local 847 vs Maple leaf sport and entertainment and UFCW Canada local 175 vs Bunge Canada.  Many more have just been tossed out of court and not even gone to arbitration…none have been successful. Why do I bring this up? Its one of the great lies that the Anti Vaxers are saying…”Our rights out weigh the mandate”…um, no they don’t.

                Wayne MacKay, professor emeritus at Dalhousie school of Law says “people are starting to chafe under the ongoing nature of them (the mandates)”,” Ultimately, given the charter limitations, these restrictions are by their nature temporary, not permanent”. Most people are concerned with their rights under the charter, but as I have discussed in a previous blog…they have no idea what the charter actually says and have never read it themselves.  MacKay also added “You don’t have the right to put others at risk, you don’t have the individual right to harm or put others in jeopardy”. This is the key reason all of the court challenges have failed.

 

                Back to the Convoy! Here are a few facts that need to be known! The Convoy suggests that the reason they are doing all this is to protest against the mandate for truckers who need to be vaccinated to cross into the states so they can prevent supply chain disruption, thus protecting us from not having food and goods. The CTA however has reported that only a small number of truckers who actually cross into the states would be impacted by this mandate as about 85% of the truckers who are traveling cross to the states and back have reported to be vaccinated already. Also, of those actually in the convoy or at the boarders clogging up the crossings, only a few ever did cross boarder driving. The majority are interprovincial drivers. This lead the head of the trucking industries biggest union to assess that those who are participating in the convoy are their with “a separate agenda beyond a disagreement over cross boarder vaccine requirements”. Its also important to note the irony that those who are trying to stop the possible issues with supply chain availability are actually causing it.

                Let’s actually put aside the elements of the protest that included white nationalism, separatists, racists, islamophobia and the crazy idiots who follow QANON or MAGA supporters. We will even allow ourselves not to focus on the fact that the far-right elements are even parts of the organization machine that got this thing going and a big agenda of violence, illegal acts and support of the desecration that had occurred to Terry Fox, the war Memorial and the tomb of the unknown soldier, and we will ignore the more flagrant illegal acts that they have spurred on. One of the common threads that I have seen in this whole thing is the fact that most people assume they understand the reasons behind the convoy and they don’t really understand it at all, but the level of hate is so high that they just want to support them and put their own ideologies into the convoy and see if they will stick.

                First off it was not the Canadian government that first came out with the mandates, it was the US…they just gave a lot longer window for the drivers to get vaccinated or be barred, also it’s the US boarder that is turning them away, not the Canadian side.  The Mandate we have is no drivers can enter Canada with out a vaccine with out quarantining upon entry for up to 14 days. However, as anyone that has EVER actually entered the states, it’s the US customers you cross through on your way to the US. The US mandate is also against Canadian truckers exclusively. The Canadian government then enacted the equal measures for American drivers. We also implemented that all federal employees must be vaccinated as well as are all federally regulated industries.

                The goal post however has moved, and continues to move depending on your group focus. Some only want the mandates gone for trave, others include the need for vaccine proof at other events and times. Some want all the laid off workers who refused to get the poke to be rehired and some of the goals also extended to toppling the current government…yes, that got crazy fast!  Its sort of a “what your view is dictates your goals” situation.

 

                One of the more spoken about fixture of the convoy is the support that they are getting for things like fuel and food. It seems extremism is very financially lucrative right now!  Most of the organizers are saying that the funds are coming from small donations from locals and Canadians, but the truth is out their and it is not that. A LARGE portion of the donations are actually coming from the states and from extreme far right groups. Nearly a third of the donations at this point are from anonymous sources and use false names. A great deal of the groups identified in the states for supporting the convoy are also Trump supporter groups or associated with far right groups.

                Facebook posts have stated that nearly a million trucks will show up or another says 50,000. One suggested that you can see it from space, which is such a load its not even funny. Did you know you can not even see the great wall of China from space, a common misconception/story/fable. One source said that it could enter the Guinness book of records as the longest truck convoy, which would be hilarious seeing as their were only around 3,000 trucks who made the trip from across Canada and currently there are numbers of about 250 still present. By trucks I of course mean semi trucks, not the many pick up trucks that accompanied them.

                Lets not make light of who was actually at the head of this thing too.  I mean its not a pissed off trucker who decided to drive cross country! It’s a QANON supporter, who called for the arrest of Justin Trudeau for alleged Treason.  A conspiracy theorist link to QANON Again, who calls herself the “Queen of Canada”who asked her followers to shoot healthcare workers. A supporter of Wexit (separation of the west….mainly Alberta….From Canada) and none of them were truckers. Also, in the group are groups like Action 4 Canada, No more lockdowns, Soldiers of Odin and several other sub groups all traveling with the convoy or now camped out in Ottawa…why is this important?  Well they are knowns groups that are anti LGBTQ, Islamophobic, Conspiracy theorists, and the cherry on top…Neo Nazis. Nice!

                A great number of American interest groups are now interfering with our domestic affairs and inciting these types of groups. One person said that they were not going to be violent, however on February 7^th a supporter of the event from Ohio was arrested on his way to the encampments in Ottawa with a home made bomb that he intended to place at the Ottawa Police Services Head quarters building. Rocks have been thrown at reporters and a mob of people showed up at a homeless shelter demanding food as they planned to do this to feed the supporters who did some with them.

                One of the things that really upsets supporters is that support for the convoy is not universal in Canada, in fact after a extensive poll done between January 31^st and February 2^nd 68% of adults stated they did not support the convoy and had little in common with their beliefs or ideologies of the demonstrators. Furthermore, 57% said they felt that the protest was offensive and inappropriate! But being Canadian a good margin, 43% said that they felt it as appropriate and they had a right to state their views…even if they were not those of the 43% who said they a had a right to speak their mind.

 

So, what is it all going to lead to…what is the outcome of this convoy?

                I really hope you did not think that the convoy was going to lead to massive changes in the way that government does things! I mean a group of people, who are not the majority, trying to make changes by being the noisiest? The truth is that the biggest changes that this could lead to is how the police deal with situations like this across Canada.  We have never really faced a crowd of angry mobs or protesters like this before and most of the information we have is that Ottawa Police did their best, but not good enough.

                As much as I don’t like Trudeau, I would have to say the way he has dealt with the mob was average or as expected from him. If it had been a “Shoe on the other food” situation and the MOB was a left leaning group and the government was conservative, well rubber bullets would have been line one of the way they were dealt with, so the crowd can thank god that the spineless were in power when they decided “revolt”. 

                Other changes, I think that in all honesty this brought us closer to the issues that the states is having right now. We used to be the sober older relative to the states, always kind to each other and unless it had to do with hockey, we basically let each other off the hook and did not try and assault each other, that has changed. We now have to contend with fringe elements in the west (and east) who feel rhetoric is not working and they must FORCE their views on us using more annoying and possibly violent means. Respect and intelligence is replaced with ad Hominin attacks and other personal attacks. If they cant beat you with truth and logic they will try and go after your personality, past or something else insulting. Other than that…nothing immediately will change.

 

Now that some mandates are coming down, some are actually stepping up to argue they should remain.

                So, here is the ironic and annoying part of this whole thing…the mandates are coming down regardless of the silly truck rally in Ottawa. They were always meant to be limited and temporary and some provinces, Saskatchewan first, are dropping all the mandates. Some in the medial field are actually stepping up and going to the premiers and MP’s and saying that this is to soon and we will need to reinstitute them sooner than later.

                Personally, I go with what the current medial suggestions are, I wear a mask when in public and probably will for some time to come and I am very happy I got my shots to help protect my family, myself and others. AND honestly anyone that says “Traitor” to me for doing so is not patriotic and they are very self centered and not worthy of my time.

 

What really blows me away!

                That last comment may sound like Im mad, Im not. But what really blows my mind is when people who have gotten the vaccine support the convoy or those that have had COVID or know people who have had covid support them. Its mind blowing that some can lose a family member and still say ignorant things…but that’s just me…all heart and logic. 

Life Liberty and….Read the damn thing before you try and invoke it!

 As of late there has been a lot of people trying to use the Charter of rights of Canada and the constitution of the country to justify their want to “protect their freedoms” and try and do everything from get the government to revoke any protective COVID mandates up to and including the toppling of the government. Now everyone knows Im triple vaxed as it my wife and my special needs daughter is double vaxed and will be triple when we can get her the third shot…..So most people also know, like most Canadians….Im Pro-mandate and feel that the need to protect the medical system, those that are at risk of dire consequences…like death….and those that can not actually get vaccinated is a personal duty that we all have.

However, people I know personally have been posting on their Facebook pages (I now the great and mighty land of social media…where no one has consequences for what they think and say right…unless someone disagrees with you then…well you are the DEVIL). What have they been posting…well Anti-vax, anti-mandate and pro-“Freedom convoy” BS.  I say BS because its what I see.  Now we all have a right to speak our mind, with the caveat that we also then must live by what we say. Someone says “Vaccine mandates are stupid and no one should get the vaccine, its dangerous and evil” then they bitch when they get fired from a job or family members abandon them…that’s the consequences of stating your mind.

So lets talk a lot more about things like the Truck convoy as that’s the latest in a long line of hot topic items we should NOT be talking about. I mean we don’t walk around talking about religious things, Politics or other topics that can create a chasm between people…wait we do?  Crap! Well we should not! Im trying to learn the lessons my wife teaches me…or yells at me, and those that my friend Mary tells me (She is nice enough not to yell).  By that I mean I am trying my best to not reply on line to things I see as stupid arguments, its not my job to educate or argue with others…and my blood pressure is starting to concern my doctor when I talk about this stuff and other stupid things people do or think…however I do want to clarify a few things here.

Its not our job to push our morals on others. Some people simply wont get the vaccine for their own reasons and they don’t feel the risk of taking a vaccine is worth it, never mind that most of them will go get a Flu shot and have had lots of different vaccines over the years. If you said “Free trip to Fiji, but you need to get travel vaccines to go” Bloody rights those people would get into line at the travel clinic to get the shot!  So, in most cases its not really their health they are worried about, its their pride!  I also think that if their “political” party or their side of the argument had come up with this idea of a vaccine that would protect society…big ass line up of red necks and right wingers!

Im not going to go to deep into the reasons people don’t want the vaccine or don’t like the mandates, most of which are paper thin even if they hold onto them desperately. I want to look directly at two of the most silly arguments that they use as to why we CANT force them to get the vaccine and they do not have to listen to the mandates.  However, I do want to point out most of the people just don’t want to wear a mask and are not even traveling but they feel they should be able to…if they wanted to….okay! Also, the vaccine…not being forced on you. You have a choice not to get the vaccine, no one is showing up at your house with police to hold your dumb ass down while they inject you with this unholy vaccine!!! However, your choices DO have consequences and in this case its how you travel, were you can eat and what kind of activities you can do. 

But, lets talk about their “Legal” argument as to why they don’t have to get a vaccine and should still be able to do the things they want to do…like opulent children, they must be told…just because you want something does not mean it is so. But what arguments do they make…well they say its against the charter of rights and freedoms or the constitution to restrict them from these things…..And the first indicator that these people are wrong…99.9% of them have not read the charter, taken a law class and they are quoting web sites and not the charter or constitution themselves. Most of them do not even have a science back ground! They can not pass a grade six science test but they know all about how the vaccine may affect the body and how they are made….and they are wrong.

Now I am going to use Betteridge’s law here a lot…and no that not a science technique, it’s a literary technique made famous by a magazine that essentially says if a headline has a “?” in it…the answer is almost always NO! I am also going to avoid giving a complete civics class, so keep in mind this is not a total run down of the two documents Im going over here, AND I do encourage you to read them yourself.

 

Some Background….

                The Canadian constitution is often referred to as “the supreme law of the land” and it outlines Canadas method of governing itself and its civil and human rights for those who live in Canada, visit Canada as well as how we interact with the Aboriginal/indigenous peoples of Canada. The Canadian constitution is an ever evolving document, it started off as a set of treaties and acts between the crown and Indigenous peoples in 1867 when it was known as the British North America Act. It basically said “this is how parliament is going to work, who gets to vote and how confederation is going to work out. It was renamed the constitution 1982. This document is mostly used to outline the division of power between the provinces and the Federal government now adays.

 

Canadian Constitution

                In 1982 an amendment was added to the constitution that basically legislated independence from the UK and it also outlined a rule that now said Canada was officially a bilingual country. No small thing as the province of Quebec itself had never had federal protection for its language prior to this. The original British north America act was split into Ten parts and a “Small bill of rights”.  The first and second act were about the union of the country itself, The third was about executive power, fourth was about the legislative power along with the formation of the house of commons and senate and the fifth was about provincial constitutions. 

The Division of power, First nations, Inuit and Metis, Criminal law, Marriage and Property rights/civil rights were all part of part Six. This section says that the Provinces have the right to make law related to “Property and civil rights of the province”. This second is not really about civil rights as much as it is who can create and enforce them locally.

The Seventh part is about Judicature, meaning setting up local, provincial and federal courts.  Part Eight is about Revenue, taxes ext, Part nine is “Miscellaneous” …essentially its actually about the Federal governments power to implement treaties on the part of the British government, however since Canada acquired full Sovereignty…this part has lost its importance. Part Ten…the last one is about admitting other colonies into the Union. But what about the “Small bill of rights” Well I read the whole thing. Its call the “Implied bill of rights and it has NOTHING to do with the kind of rights that the right is saying they are being infringed upon. The Bill of rights limits the duration of a house of commons can sit (Maximum 5 years), guarantee of representation in the house of commons for all provinces, Jurisdiction over education to the provinces and also a very Segregational idea of separate schools for protestants and Catholics, Prohibition of customs duties and tariffs on inter provincial trade, Provisions for Bilingualism n the legislative and judicial branches….and also an act to create Canada day.

The 1982 act added a lot more about equalization and equal opportunity, Aboriginal and treaty rights of indigenous people, Some minor changes were also put in place and of course the whole booting the Brits out of our country law making ext. but for the most part it did not make a tone of changes. So when someone says “Its in the constitution…” NO, No its not! 

 

But, what about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

                The Charter of rights and freedoms is in part one of the Constitution act of 1982 and it is the constitutional guarantee of your Civil rights and liberties in Canada. It guarantees lots of things as a right, but keep in mind…if its not listed here its not a guaranteed right…and there is also this little thing called the notwithstanding act, which I will also outline.

                Most importantly, the whole act is written in very plain language so that everyone can understand it, which is IRONIC because most people misquote it and add to it when they feel its needed. The Charter of rights actually was the easiest part for me to read…in grade 12 and again last week…actually a few times since then too. The charter is mostly seen as a tool for the courts to balance the rights of people and provincial/federal law. It has been used to strike down laws that were created that infringed on the specific rights guaranteed in the charter. It is not a tool an individual can use, which confuses people. You can not quote it and magically things happen, or don’t happen anymore. You must go to court and the judges will then balance the case against the charter. This confuses people, but put plainly the duty of enforcement of the charter is in the hands of the COURT not the people.

                Under the charter, people PHYSICALLY present in Canada have specific civil and political rights, this means…for those paying attention…if you are not in Canada…you don’t have the same rights you have here…so don’t tell the Russian embassy that you have some specific rights…you may get them to laugh at you comrade!  One thing to note, people who are Indigenous to Canada have several rights that we do not, and Im not going to cover that at all other than to say we set up some pretty sweet agreements with the people who were here before us to guarantee them specific rights…..not saying we enforce them or treat them as if they have them…that’s for a different blog.

                First lets start with Second 1, which is a section often “Over looked” by those arguing that the human rights (not a thing) are being taken from them…it’s known as the Limitations clause, which allows the government to justify certain infringements of charter rights to people. Infringements can be upheld if the government reason for infringing on the rights in the charter are “Pressing and substantial” in a “Free and democratic society”.  And it has to be “demonstrably justified” meaning it can be demonstrated as to why its necessary. This type of “Exception” has been used to pass laws like Hate Speech laws that seem to counter our right to free speech.

                The other charter changing add on is the famous notwithstanding clause in section 33. This basically means that the government is authorized to temporarily override a person’s rights and freedoms for up to five years for things that they feel may be hindering them or even for laws that are passed federally that they do not feel are to their liking…basically. In this case the Notwithstanding clause CAN be used if people argued that the mandates are against a protected right….but I digress, lets actually look at those rights.

               

                The Rights and Freedoms are enshrined in 34 sections of the charter of rights…I will be brief on most of them!  First up the Fundamental Freedoms! Section two of the charter protecst a persons Fundamental rights, which include…..Freedom of Conscience, Freedom of Religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, freedom of press and other media, freedom of peaceful assembly democratic rights and freedom of association. So, you DO have the right to think what you want, assemble “PEACEFULLY” and vote. Oh, and hang out with who ever you feel you want to.

                Briefly section 3 is the right to vote your own mind for your MP, Section for limits their time in the house of commons, Section 5 is the annual amount of time they have to sit in the house of commons. Basically they have no real bearing on “human Rights” or even civic rights…..

                Section 6 is all about mobility rights, and this is one that people actually point to when you have a boarder mandate for vaccines. It protects the mobility rights of Canadians to enter, remain in or leave Canada…problem is that the US can say they barred you and you may have a right to leave…but not go to the states or any land/air/sea crossing into the states if you are just landing to connect to a new flight ext to get to other destinations. Or come through that country  on the way home. So the whole mandate in Canada, even if it was dropped, is a moot argument because the states DOES have a right to bar you from entering the states unless you are vaccinated. Oh, and you have a right to move to any province and take up residence, but that’s not the argument is it.

                Section 7 is the right to liberty, life and security of person. YES, finally a spot that the anti vaxers are going to be right in! So, you have the right to life…pretty basic you can breath and no one should be able to take that away from you…got it….liberty…well that’s a bit more difficult. Liberty originally meant the protection of an individual’s freedom to act with out physical restraint (meaning you can not be arrested with out cause), but it has expanded a bit to mean include your RIGHT to make personal choices. This is personal choices specifically; this does not extend to your family. By that it means that if MOM says that she does not want her child to undergo specific surgery for religious reasons…she does not have the right to make up her child’s mind for them. It also means that a person has a right to say decide if they want a vaccine, but they can not infringe on someone else decision to not get one or to get one. It also basically says your rights are yours and can not infringe someone else’s rights. This is basically you have a right to smoke and pollute your body, but not in public if you now cause someone else to “smoke” by taking in your second-hand smoke.

                The next few sections are about your legal and civic rights as you interact legally with the government. They guarantee protection against unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from illegal detention or imprisonment, right to legal counsel and habeas corpus, Right in criminal and penal matters to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, a right not to be subject to cruel and unusual punishment, a right against self-incrimination and a right to an interpreter in a court proceeding.  You also have a right to be treated equally before the law and have equal protection as anyone else.  If you do not have interactions with the government, you probably wont ever need to know these. But if you do have interactions with the government…you really should know these.

                Section 16-23 are all obsessed with language rights. This is the rights given to individuals, provinces and the federal government when it comes to bilingual access to things and a right to use the languages they want to. Nothing hidden in here at all about COVID or other vaccines.

                The last few sections clarify how the charter works in practice. Section 25 is all about how the charter does not derogate existing Aboriginal rights and freedoms, Section 27 says that other rights in Canada (Provincial charters) are not invalidated by the charter and 27 says that the charter needs to be interpreted in a multicultural context and 28 says that all charter rights are given equally to men and women. Section 29 and 30 say that the rights of separate schools is preserved and application of the charter in the territories are also explained.

                So far nothing like what the truck drivers are saying really, or the antivaxxers.  The last two sections confirm that the charter does not extend the power of legislators and the last one basically names the charter. That’s the whole charter.

 

 

Does it say anything about mandates?

                Really nothing. I mean it does mention you have the right to liberty, which can be viewed as “you have the right to choose….what you put in your body”. So, I will assume this to be true, but it does not then say you have a right to select what others put in their bodies. It also does not say “if you don’t get the vax you can still go to restaurants or you an then go to a soccer game or concert. With all choices come consequences.  The ramifications of choosing not to get vaccinated is not restricted under the charter of rights, its not a right. And actually if the consequences of choosing to not get the poke is that a restaurant now bars you from entry, well that’s with in the right of the company owner.

                Cities, provinces and even the feds can step up and say “you wanna keep your licence to sell food/booze ext, you have to only do so to vaccinated people in house, the rest can buy it but have to go off site to eat it. The rights that people are bitching about do not exist.

                Lets get specific about the Travel Mandate now…cuz…well truckers….The travel mandate basically says in order to travel with any carriers (Air planes, trains or boats) you must be vaccinated, but there are options to come “home” from abroad with out being vaccinated if you quarantine and show a negative COVID test…so yah. But its like 14 days each way.

                So again, you have the right not to get vaccinated AND you can come home…but what about traveling outside the country…well lets see. Canada is enforcing a mandate that requires to you be vaccinated to travel, but so are other countries. So the reality is, even if the Canadian government said “Go ahead…travel” you still COULD NOT. Why, well the states will not allow foreign nationals to travel across the boarder until they are vaccinated. Period. So you think you get the government to change its mind, show up to go to Florida for some beach time…..and nope…back home you go. Essentially the charter of rights does not specifically say you can travel for pleasure, it does say you can travel for work or to move to a province…A PROVINCE so truckers who are not vaccinated have every right to get a long-haul gig from say BC to Manitoba or from Ontario to the East Coast, just not into the states.

 

Some issues I have personally with the Truck drivers ext.

                So, we now know that the charter of rights does NOT protect you from things like Mandates requiring you to get a vaccine to do things like go to concerts or foot ball games. It does not protect you from having to wear a mask or quarantine if you are sick. It does not protect you from being stopped at a boarder or airport and having your vaccine status checked nor from having to test prior to coming home. Good, so why then am I supporting the original idea of truckers traveling to Ottawa to bitch and moan about things they are actually not protected by?

                First off and foremost, I believe in the right for a person to speak their mind, even if I don’t agree with them. I look at hospital staff, care givers and first responders like cops and ambulance attendants and think…HERO and I look at the truck drivers and think “IDIOTS” but those truck drivers have a right to tell us how they feel. Every right, hell its protected under the charter of rights, and it does not say they have to be right or have a valid argument to voice their opinions! Having said that two things also come to mind…first if you can not defend your stance logically, perhaps you have to confess that the real reason you are against the Mandates are that you don’t like to be told what to do. You suffer from an entitlement complex and have no sense of community. You want to do what ever it is you want to do with no restrictions because its YOU and you are just a privileged child. I am also willing to admit that when I am told what to do I am often very upset, granted Im a law abiding proud Canadian so if its for the good of others, I will probably do it, but as a Manitoban…I reserve the right to use my free speech when I stomp my feet like an indignant child.

   

             The other thing that really gets me upset is when some trucker traveling across Canada to pout about the laws says they are doing it for “my protection” or to “Protect my rights”….Um no thank you! I support the mandate, I think Vaccines are the only way out of this shit show and you bitching and moaning is fine, but not getting vaccinated and wanting to travel to foreign countries and then come home with new variants of Covid is stupid and selfish. Someone argued “we are all selfish then” My answer was “Nope, I got vaccinated for myself yes, but also for my daughter, my mother, my wife, my students, my father, older people I may come into contact with, I got vaccinated for my community!”

                DO NOT pretend to represent my feelings or wishes when you travel from one part of the country to the capital. You do not speak for me and you don’t represent my better interests. In fact you represent the OPPOSITE of what my interests are. I think of those in my community and their health first and foremost and I would appreciate it if you stopped pretending to represent me or that you are trying to protect an actual thing that is real. Just pout and stomp your feet like a child.

                And the right to Peacefully congregate and speak out against the government is fine, but when you start strong-arming homeless shelters, accosting symbols of Canadian pride like Terry Fox statues or the tomb of the unknown soldier, threated and assault the media, block others rights to free movement to and from home/work and just act like jackasses, well you lost my vote….time to move on.

 

So were does that leave us ?

                Put simply the truckers have every right to PEACEFULLY congregate, speak and be heard by the government, after all the government represents the people. People also have the right to Not get vaccinated if they don’t want to and we should not condemn people who choose to not get the poke. Also, We should not attack those that support these truckers as again, you have a right to freedom of thought and freedom of speech. We do however have to address the fact that right now, as the law stands, they are wrong!  Also, they do not speak for the MAJORITY of Canadians who feel that the mandates are in place for the right reasons, which are to protect our health care system and those that want to be protected as best we can from COVID.

                Any other argument about the vaccine effectiveness, mandates for quarantines are sort of fluff. You can argue what you want, you have a right to your own opinions and beliefs, but you don’t, as the saying goes, have a right to your own facts