Truckers and supporters gather in Delta, B.C. on Jan. 23 before departing on a cross-country convoy that arrived in Ottawa five days later.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The movie franchise ‘Mad Max’ contains a cautionary tale about our over-reliance on fuel for vehicles. This dependence has been highlighted by the ‘freedom convoy’ and its relationships with fuel.
A man holds a sign on Parliament Hill to support trucks lined up in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions.
(AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
‘Freedom convoy’ protesters are turning the language of freedom against their own governments. The implications and repercussions of this are enormous.
Police officers hold a line against protesters at a ‘freedom convoy’ blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., that was broken up soon after police arrived on the scene en masse. People in Ottawa are wondering why their police force hasn’t pushed protesters out of the city or why the military isn’t involved.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Police in Ottawa and other Canadian cities have been community-focused and protected the enshrined right to protest amid the ‘freedom convoy,’ but now must stand up for law and order for everyone.
With the occupation of parliament grounds entering its second week, police walk a thin blue line between enforcing the law and not inflaming the situation.
A Donald Trump supporter flies a Trump flat a trucker convoy protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Toronto.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Does the flag unite Canadians, or confuse them as its symbolism is used to different ends and causes?
An Ontario Provincial Police tactical officer looks on from the top hatch of an armoured vehicle at the Ambassador Bridge.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
As the “freedom convoy” and occupation of Ottawa drags on, the potential for a violent stand-off between protestors and police increases, which in turn decreases the chances of a peaceful resolution.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, who resigned three weeks into the ‘freedom convoy’ protest amid accusations of police force inaction, listens to a question at a news conference on the protest.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canadian police have been sued for failure to protect victims of crime in the past. Is the situation in Ottawa different?
Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen finishes her remarks during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the situation in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The truckers’ convoy has travelled from out west to Parliament Hill and Toronto. Along the way, the responses of law enforcement agencies are affected by both internal and external politics.
A person holds a sign for the “freedom convoy” a cross-country convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, as people rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Parliament Hill.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Instead of a self-serving, diesel-stinking, neighbourhood-clogging mob that negatively impacts the freedom of others, the convoy should consider going home and learning about different perspectives.
A ‘Freedom Convoy’ has been protesting vaccine mandates at Parliament Hill, but most Canadians don’t share their views on COVID-19 restrictions.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Most Canadians support government measures to help control the spread of COVID-19, according to a public opinion study. But they’re growing weary of the pandemic.
A person walks past trucks parked on a street in downtown Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Right-wing extremism is a growing movement, as the world saw during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Shouldn’t Ottawa security forces have learned lessons from Jan. 6?
Erin O'Toole speaks about climate change at an Ottawa event in April 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
After being ousted as Conservative leader, Erin O'Toole warned the country faced a dire moment of division. At the moment, however, it’s the party he attempted to lead that’s bitterly divided.
People sing O Canada during a rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Parliament Hill on Jan. 30, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The so-called freedom convoy has torn off the protective tissue on what it means to “be a Canadian” to expose an ugly truth.
A woman stops to take a photo of signs attached to the fence around Parliament as the trucker protest continues in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
GoFundMe claims it won’t fund campaigns that promote hate or misinformation. So why is it backing the so-called freedom convoy that’s currently causing so much incendiary disruption in Ottawa?
A sign reads ‘Assassin Trudeau’ but the letters S in assassin are replaced with SS, abbreviation of Schutzstaffel, the black-uniformed self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
When the ‘freedom convoy’ heads home, governments will be keen to avoid similar events. Angry protest movements are volatile and have lasting consequences, as the rise of Trumpism shows.