Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice yesterday seeking $4.8 million in damages for “private nuisance” and $5 million in punitive damages for the beleaguered residents of the national capital’s downtown core from the outlaw truckers occupying the city.
The $9.8-million class action lawsuit focuses on the sustained air horn abuse by the far-right truckers who arrived unimpeded in Ottawa’s downtown last weekend demanding the lawfully elected government of Canada be deposed, supposedly because they were fed up with provincial COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Accumulating evidence suggests, however, the protest has a much broader extreme-right agenda and benefited from funding and advice from outside the country.
Be that as it may, while many of the threatening and noisy protesters are sure to stick around – organizers have vowed to stay until their absurd demands have been met – the smart ones may try to get out of town with their license plates unnoticed when they give some thought to the implications of Mr. Champ’s suit and the others that are sure to follow.
Mr. Champ is a high-profile litigator specializing in human rights, employment, labour, and constitutional law from offices near Parliament Hill.
Ottawa media reported yesterday evening that Mr. Champ’s statement of claim names protest organizers Chris Barber, Benjamin Ditcher, Tamara Lich, and Patrick King as defendants, but leaves the door open to naming up to 60 additional defendants if the operators of the trucks harassing residents can be identified.
Downtown Ottawa resident Zexi Li, a public employee who lives near Parliament Hill, was named as the lead plaintiff. But Mr. Champ will seek the approval of the court to include “all persons who reside in Ottawa, Ontario, from Bay Street to Elgin Street and Lisgar Street to Wellington Street” in the class action.
Mr. Champ’s case – in which he is also seeking an injunction to immediately stop the horn-blowing – is set to commence in court today, CTV reported.
Readers will forgive me, I hope, for pointing out that I called this four days ago when I wrote, “What’s the first thing citizens do in a society where the rule of law prevails when they are faced, individually or collectively, with an intolerable situation? They call a lawyer and they file a lawsuit, of course.”
I argued that the mysteriously sourced $9.5-million slush fund that had by then been collected by the GoFundMe crowd-funding site from supporters of the insurrectionists holding the city hostage would be a tempting target for harassed Ottawans and their lawyers.
But also yesterday evening, with contributions at more than $10-million, GoFundMe.com shut down the account and announced that after its initial distribution of $1-million to the organizers, it would no longer distribute any of the funds to them since “the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.”
GoFundMe said “we will work with organizers to send all remaining funds to credible and established charities chosen by the … organizers and verified by GoFundMe.”
One wonders if GoFundMe was as fearful of getting tangled in a web of litigation as it was concerned about the official assessment of the protest. Whatever, this does mean organizers and participants won’t have the huge slush fund they may have anticipated to defend themselves against legal proceedings of all sorts.
CBC reported that Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the original crowdfunding effort, “posted a video message on Friday evening directing supporters to a new online fundraiser hosted by GiveSendGo,” a Christian site blocked by PayPal last year because it raised money for participants in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington D.C.
Also yesterday, Ms. Lich resigned her position as secretary of the Western separatist Maverick Party, the political entity formerly known as Wexit.
Last night, the party’s website page devoted to short biographies of its leadership cadre read, “sorry this service is currently unavailable.” A news release quoting Leader Jay Hill, a former Conservative Party of Canada MP, said: “It is with regret that we accept the resignation of Tamara Lich, who has been instrumental in organizing the Truckers Freedom Convoy, as she is committed to remaining in Ottawa until all restrictions are lifted.”
If Mr. Champ’s name sounds familiar to readers of this blog, it is because he drafted the letter to Jason Kenney in November that advised the Alberta premier he would be personally sued for defamation by five Canadian environmental organizations if he didn’t retract and apologize for claims he made about them in comments about the report of the so-called “Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns.”
That letter gave Mr. Kenney until Nov. 30 to apologize.
In the event, a statement of claim in the case wasn’t filed until Thursday this week in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton.
The suit names Mr. Kenney and the Government of Alberta and is seeking $15,000 for each organization in actual damages and $500,000 in punitive damages from Mr. Kenney.
Meanwhile, in Quebec City, authorities sensibly blocked off the Old City with heavy equipment and Quebec Premier Francois Legault signalled that heavy-duty tow trucks were standing by and a blockade like the one Ottawa Police allowed to dig in will not be tolerated.
Given the amount of money donated into the GoFundMe account by donors in or from the US, one has to wonder … if a “foreign-funded anti-oil campaign” warrants a provincial public inquiry in Oilbertastan, does a “foreign-funded anti-vaxx campaign” warrant a provincial public inquiry in DoFo’s Ontario? [Asked with tongue firmly in cheek].
Today on Twitter, angry Texans admit they funded foreign interference in Canada by donating money to the GoFu**Me account. They’re furious that GoFu**Me is refunding their money. This stunning admission comes from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, no less — not a random dude-bro, but a state government dude-bro.
Silence from the UCP. Not a single reference to sasquatches from the lot of them.
We have ourselves an international incident! Hello, president Joe Biden: your red states are trying to overthrow our federal government.
I think we are well past the point of wondering whether or not the truck convoy protest was, in some significant part, a political operation that was funded, inspired, and planned by GOP insurrectionists south of border. You know, the same folks who believe that Biden stole the election, that the Jan. 06 violent storming of the capital was just an exercise in democratic political dialog, that it is morally justifiable to gerrymandering districts along racial lines to win Congress before a single vote is cast, that vaccines are dangerous hoaxes designed to control the population and curtail its freedoms, and other crazy and delusional beliefs.
The amount of influence these baleful foreign actors have is disturbing and extends deep into the CPC and the UCP and significant segments of the population.
We likely need, at a minimum, a Royal Commission or a parliamentary committee to investigate the use of these funding platforms by foreign agents to disrupt and interfere with our political discourse and institutions. The scope for these investigations should be as broad as possible and include social media platforms as well. Also, we might need to bring some of our laws up to date. But, first we should start to enforce the laws we already have to end the occupations and illegal protests.
On a related note, we now have Kenney channeling his inner Ron DeSantis and musing about taking power away from municipalities to make independent decisions regarding vaccines and mask mandates, but I digress.
This just keeps getting nastier and nastier. The military should be putting a stop to this. The money raised to support these “protesters” should be seized and given for the costs of policing this. It’s a shame this is allowed to carry on.
If that lawsuit goes through, no one will be able to protest in canada again. Conservatives are getting ready to ban abortion thanks to you crazies.
Was that you in Drew Barnes’ truck convoy “art”?
This is not a legal protest. It didn’t even have a protest permit. Yes, that is a thing. It is an occupation, which in this case involves stockpiling fuel in jerry cans and propane cannisters, wood and straw near burn barrels in the nation’s capital, among other illegal behavior.
This is no longer a protest. It is an occupation.
Their mantra is “my body, my choice”. So that must mean they support the rights of women to makes choices about their body. Right? No? Really?
The best comment on social media re: the lawsuit against the convoy was something along the lines of: Hey, truckers, if you think Trudeau has been shafting you, wait until you meet your lawyer.
I appreciate your prescient and perceptive observations, DJC.
Perhaps the list of defendants could be expanded to include Candice Bergen and others of her ilk in the CPC who gave comfort to and are complicit with these lawless, ignorant yahoos and egged them on for political points to create difficulties for the government. Recall that the speech of MPs is only protected in Parliament. These folks made plenty of actionable statements elsewhere, for example, in a notorious email that the MAGA hat wearing Bergen sent to her colleagues.
In another news, a little-known side effect of the protests and Coutts is that a group of Indo-Canadian truckers were stuck on the US side of the border for days without access to food or medicine and were pleading for help.
https://thelinkpaper.ca/indo-canadian-truckers-stranded-at-coutts-montana-entry-ask-for-help-in-viral-video/.
Perhaps they should consider suing the protest organizers and the protestors at Coutts as well.
And, if you are concerned about the use of GoFundMe as a way to funnel dark money for dubious political causes and stir unrest, here is an article that will do nothing to allay those concerns:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/02/04/opinion/startling-trump-interference-points-gofundme-convoy-campaign-manipulation
This is encouraging. I sincerely hope both lawsuits are successful.
It’s been hard watching mobs of thugs terrorize Ottawa while the police do nothing whatsoever and to see Kenney cowering before the goons here in Alberta. Now this nonsense is starting to spread to other highways. It’s hard to imaging these people are oppressed in any way with the number of $100,000 + pickups being used to intimidate innocent motorists.
It is way past time that law and order be restored. Maybe hitting these criminals in the pocketbook will achieve results. Sucking up to them like Kenney and Bergen are doing sure isn’t working.
Hopelly this is the wake up call. Canada is under attack from within, financed by the foreign Neoliberal organization of the wealthy. It’s not a conspiracy theory anymore.
One of the under-reported (and under-noticed) elements of this protest is their American-centered language. Lots of video of people yelling “freedom” and “we the people”. Of course, alert (and politically educated) Canadians will notice the the former if an American rallying cry not part of Canadian political culture, and the latter is from the U.S. Declaration of Independence (always poorly quoted, btw). There’s no great mystery, of course – Canada has always been dwarfed by American media and popular culture and the right wing are no different. The worry always was – and continues to be – that Canadians understand their own political system and political history less that they understand the American’s. This, of course, becomes an issue when a right-wing occupation demands that the GG and the Senate dissolve government, thinking that either one of those institutions have more power than they actually do.
Somehow I believe François Legault. We might not get our “just watch me” moment. It could be a Shawinigan Handshake.
I hope Mr. Champ will expand the lawsuit to include individual truck drivers as defendants. There is an old saying in lawsuit circles: you can’t get blood from a stone, meaning of course, that there is no point winning a huge settlement if the defendant cannot pay it. In the case of the truckers, though, they each own an asset, their truck, likely worth more than $100,000 that will have to forfeited before they can play the ‘can’t pay it’ card. No doubt Rebel Media et al will organize a fund raiser to help out the poor freedom fighters.
I am totally sympathetic to the Ottawa Police Service’s reluctance to move the protestors out, out of concern of escalating the situation, and likewise I support not bringing in the military. To escalate could turn the streets of Ottawa into a battlefield, with the possibility of innocent bystanders dying, and the death of a trucker giving the cause a martyr. We don’t need Ottawa to become Canada’s Kent State.
A very unfortunate consequence of this entire situation, however, is the message it is sending to organizers of protests for other causes. Lots of comments have been made about how the truckers have been treated differently than protests about environmental and black/indigenous issues, and the comments are valid. Unfortunately, the message being sent to organizers of other causes is that their protest needs to be considered dangerous if it is to have a lasting impact.
For that reason I really hope the lawsuit is successful.
As it has now become known that a Fort Macleod town councillor is organizing the Coutts blockade, perhaps the people of Coutts could sue Fort Macleod for all that “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” movie money.
As for me, I’m only here for the popcorn. (Sorry, Just Me.)
Nice of you to suggest taking their livelihood from them and leaving them unable to feed their families. Exactly the kind of thing they are fighting against.
So Rob exactly how do you ‘control’ mobs that wander the streets intimidating innocents, setting fires in apartment buildings, blaring fog horns 24/7, building structures for their exclusive use i.e. saunas, hot tubs etc without a building permit , having an all night rave on public property all the while lamenting their lost ‘freedoms’. Oh that’s right there are hundreds of rigs blocking public streets so kids and others can’t get to their hospitals for treatment and care of ongoing medical issues, And yes the health care that they are so critical of is a provincial responsibility that the feds support but do not manage so exactly why are they in Ottawa causing mayhem?
Bob,
You do LHT transport 90% of food and al other supplies, right? Have fun in the cold winters of Canada when all the truckers band together further due to you confiscation of their livelihood. Not a good plan.
Simple. We replace them with reasonable people who need jobs.
RCMP officers taught me years ago that criminals are usually easy to catch because they are so stupid. I don’t think the lawyers will have any problem adding 60 more names to the lawsuit when they have license plates to prove how stupid these guys are, do you?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the head of the truckers union helps the lawyers he is so pissed by what they did. Let’s hope they all get fired , we know the stupid reformers who voiced their support will. Even southern Albertans are voicing their anger at Drew Barnes and Grant Hunter from what I understand.
I understand what you mean Alan but the union presidents of any truckers who are union members by law has to represent dues paying members. It’s law in any jurisdiction with labour codes in Canada and written in most union’s constitutions. The union representing the grievance of the member also must not handle the case arbitrarily but also doesn’t have to win the case nor does the membership need to spend to go further into arbitration if the evidence against said member is overwhelming in dismissal.
ALAN K. SPILLER: Something has to give, with this. The noise is unbearable. Also, there is traffic congestion, which is going to affect emergency responders from helping someone in medical duress. There is going to be hell to pay, if that were to happen.
https://convoytraitors.ca/ DJC
There are very few Alberta trucks on that site. Do you know if there is a Coutts Convoy Traitors website? TIA.
Interestingly, at least two most recent pages, show trucks and/or owners from Ontario and Quebec……
David, Thanks for the link to the photo archive of the Ottawa truckers and businesses involved. Interesting. I did wonder if any member of the public were doing something like this.
I will be very surprised if police involved at all of the locations across the country do not have body cameras running and are recording the information from the doors of vehicles, license plates, and that the social media being scrubbed regularly. I guess these protestors didn’t learn from the Jan 6 protestors in Washington that cameras and digital footprints are everywhere.
As you point out David just plain stupid like the RCMP officers claim.
Instead of physical kettling like at the various G meetings in Seattle and Toronto in years past, we now have digital kettling.
These people are very stupid, and it shows. These pretend conservatives and Reformers are supporting them.
Got it. People who don’t share your opinions are stupid. Such a civil way to frame your argument, eh?
A very dangerous precedent if it is allowed to proceed, any protest in the future regardless of the group will face the threat of legal action. Let’s hope that in the interest of maintaining our democratic right to protest it will be thrown out before going too far. Do we really want to see teachers and nurses sued the next time they march on the legislature?
As I understand, the lawsuit is very specific to loud and sustained noise, at a very specific decibel level, time period and location (i.e. the streets of Ottawa not directly on Parliament Hill, where people normally protest). Unlikely that any other protest could ever get this loud (because they wouldn’t have trucks) and sustain this noise into the early hours of the morning outside of Parliament Hill.
Well isn’t that what UCP’s Critical Infrastructure Defense Bill is all about? Teachers, Nurses, other Unions, Indigenous, Environmentalists? But apparently not self-entitled white male cry-baby anti-vax/anti-mask hooligans who, after all, are the bread and butter voters for the UCP (and CPC/Reform, although PPP and Maverick Party are making inroads there)
It is and as we see will only be selectively applied when it fits the political ends of the ruling party. To my knowledge it hasn’t been used yet, hopefully when it is used the targets have the financial resources to fight and we can be rid of it.
If this current lawsuit does proceed will lawsuits be filed for the protests that occurred last summer? Plenty of fundraising dollars are up for grabs there as well.
It’s not a precedent to be tried for crimes one commits, dangerous or otherwise, that’s just how it works.
As many other folks have pointed out, the left is already infiltrated and repressed, how would charging people for public crimes they publicly commit change that at all ?
It should also be noted that CPC senator Sen. Dennis Patterson has left the Conservative Party’s caucus, because of the strange and dangerous relationship the CPC, specifically Candice Bergen, has with the truckers and other elements. I suspect that there will be further examination by of the CPC caucus by CSIS, particular over their potential involvement in extremist activities. At some point, we could see a massive splintering of the CPC caucus, now that there appears to be a campaign underway to purge the Red Tories from the fold. Further, Bergen ended the role of Quebec caucus leader and advisor to her leadership, because Quebec doesn’t matter to Western Canada. I suspect this is the beginning of the CPC dangerous slide into Wexit dementia, promoting even greater scrutiny by internal security agencies.
This is, as Andrew Coyne warned, the beginning of the end of the CPC. Taking note of this, Peter McKay has appeared again to denounce another stinking albatross hanging around the party’s neck. I can’t say if McKay is proposing he make another run at the leadership, but the stinging rejection of McKay last time doesn’t bode well for his leadership aspirations. Leslyn Lewis has been proposed as another returning contender, and she’s already courting religious partisans and the trucker goofballs. As for Skippy Pollivere, it’s expected to be coronation for him. But the CONs are usual suspicious of those with the royal jelly, so it will not be an easy ride for him.
Peter MacKay … The Kurt von Schleicher of Canadian Politics.
How bad do things have to be, when Helicopter Pete is the adult in the room?!?
It isn’t just the blogger who has pointed out the real issues in this protest. Relevant to the scene in Ottawa is a feature in today’s Toronto Star wherein economist Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver provides a perspective not often reported in the MSM.
“It is well documented that the ‘truckers protest’ has little to do with trucking. Most of the vehicles in the protest were not trucks. Most people in the protest are not truckers. And most of the organizers’ demands (from opposing all COVID-19 restrictions to removing the elected government of Canada) have nothing to do with trucking.
The nebulous connection between trucking and this protest has not stopped right wing politicians from invoking the rugged image of ‘hard working truckers’ as a convenient prop for their flirtation with extremism.”
Stanford cites three culprits: not Larry, Moe and Curly but Erin, Moe and Kenney.
He points out the struggles facing the average trucker: long hours, loneliness, dangerous driving conditions and unfair treatment by many employers, issues not raised by these protesters and ignored by politicians.
It’s a good eye that sees how right-wing propaganda resorts to guile much like advertising employs psychology and discretely biased presentation to make a consumer product look good enough to sell.
‘I’m not a real trucker—but I play one on TV’ isn’t the only clue: the deployment of cultural icons like “hard working truckers”, dosed liberally (heh) with increasingly primitive narratological tropes like self-justified revenge for claimed deprivation of an heroic golden age and righteous indignation when outed like high-school adolescents who doth protesteth too much when blatant paraphrasing on a term paper is busted for plagiarism.
To put it graphically, simply reverse Rudolph Zallinger’s famous illustration, the March of Progress, where modern the modern man instead marches backwards, turning one depiction after another into a gibbon (and presumably further into frog, fish and pond-scum) or watch the nightly news from Ottawa.
At final resort, it’s the primal ‘us against them’… are we there yet?
Nice to see someone else remembers Zallinger. As a dinosaur-obsessed small boy, I pored over his reconstructions.
First personally I tried ,but nobody took the bait on the “Dragon” wishes it’s paying attention to details,look at the big picture- don’t just look at the what’s in front of you, be aware of the background. And the ad for 20 breeds was a real “eye catcher”…
DJC ,welcome to the Wild West weekend edition ,my head already hurts & I wasn’t even drinking, though that could change by days end. Well teacher, I was up late doing my homework ( was lucky enough to have an excellent Social Studies teacher taught us to open our minds about what we see,what we read and to evaluate it, saves stumbling over what’s under your feet ,right in front of you– oh look, squirrel— shiny thing– I digress)
Found the Give send go,as well ,made for some interesting reading, especially the back and forth of people trying to get their money back, everything from they’re not going to get anymore money from me (sweetheart, it’s an american co, they already did, and the close to 500,000 thousand that they collected up front for fees and processing they get to keep, even i figured that much out from the fineprint) to also going to their credit card companies and saying they were victims of fraud, which in essence IS true, just not what they are suggesting.
And if your hair is in weekend mode ,go look the new “donation site and it’s co-founder, if you’ve already combed your hair, sorry..they were also the site that raised all that money for Kyle Rittenhouse(?) Back to that dog ad,—-
And I’m absolutely at a loss for words about the media, when they invite the mayor on ,then go all Jeanine P, i had to turn it off, and why do they keep asking everyone for their plans ,do they not think the rabble is watching , oh wait, cover your ears and cue the horns.But some guy talking about : we have an army, and we have —-, didn’t get a second notice, but i really hope that the proper authorities saw that.
One thing I learned many years ago,was that if you want to hide anything ,hide it in plain site…that’s what happened down south, and continues to happen and is now happening here. That dog just bared his teeth, he just couldn’t contain himself
By the by,I’m still trying to figure out, who to go to to collect on my bet for all those trucks carrying the particle board signs, hmm??
Well time to see if i can find some thing for breakfast ,that will be wasted or that I’ll need an “antacid” for (☆DJC )
Side bar to Ranger , i peeled it first ,thanks.. Ttttime for……
Does anyone know what the cops are telling these #%^&*@$ ? Is it like:
“Please move your rig sir, or I will write a parking ticket.”
Or would there be more serious charges, and if so why is that not being explained publicly.
section 83.01 of the Criminal Code defines terrorism as an act committed “in whole or in part for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause” with the intention of intimidating the public “…with regard to its security, including its economic security, or compelling a person, a government or a domestic or an international organization to do or to refrain from doing any act.”
Is there something between a parking ticket and terrorism law that would apply? Some kind of “obstruction”, perhaps? IANAL. In the US they have prosecuted hundreds for Jan 6, and many have done plea bargains, which suggests they are going to testify against the organizers.
I like your post David. I feel sorry for those protesters that don’t know about the groups behind the protests and are following it like blind sheep
Golly gee, she thought laughing, I needed this…didn’t have to wait for Sunday comics …
Florida governor Ron De Santis is going to investigate GoFundMe ……
He said it was fraud for GFM to “”commandeer”” $10 million in donations sent to the FC in Ottawa & that he will investigate what he called “decptive” practices by the website .on Twitter — it was fraud for go fund me to give the money ” to causes of their own choosing…..
So the “donors ” as per Tamara’s first posting ,was that any “left over money was to go to charities of the ” donors choosing —-
Hmmm, bemused, something in the news about charities ,fraud, investigations, sure wish I could remember what it was all about.. …anyone else know???
You know you hit the big time when coach Gym Jordan is in your corner!
https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1487458563949740033
https://www.jordanscandal.com/
Good post.
For the life of me I cannot understand why so many Conservative MP’s, and their leader, are so enamoured by the this trucker movement to the point where they want to be photographed with the protesters. Not to mention the private Candice Bergen’s memo to her team advising them NOT to call for an end to the occupation.
Let’s face it. The Conservatives have been going the wrong way with urban voters ever since the disaster over nijabs and the barbaric cultural practices hotline election proposal. The Conservatives lost the last two elections in those urban vote battlegrounds of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Given what is going on in Ottawa, in Quebec City, in Winnipeg, in Toronto the Conservatives a likely to loose even more ground in these areas.
I can well understand why the pros like Baird, Moore, Rait, etc. are running, not walking from the current disorganized bunch of political lightweights that make up the current Conservative caucus and Party.
Unfortunately I still recall the bullies I avoided as much as possible throughout school years. Seemed then, as now, that if they got together they could intimidate more of us more often. Deja vu!!!
Response to Jim – Teachers and Nurses marching to the legislature ( in their sensible shoes ,not sexy white boots) are Peaceful – they are not blaring truck horns,or blocking traffic or keeping the local citizens awake all night, or keeping them from their jobs. The key word Peaceful is the contention in the lawsuit, or lack there of .
And it looks like Skippy Pollivere, the CPC MP for Ottawa-Carleton has throw in his lot with the Convoy.
It looks like Pollivere is thinking this will help him gain the CPC leadership, as well as hoping that his riding can’t hear the blaring truck horns.
Today politico.com quotes the former reality show host and 45th President of the United States.
“The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with his insane Covid mandates.”
Comment M. Pollivere? Ms. Bergen?
From The Hill: DeSantis, state AGs pledge to investigate GoFundMe removing page for Canadian vaccine mandate protest
So about that antacid ,
“Skippy” just announced via Twitt, sorry Twitter that he’s running for , leader of , nope he’s going straight to I’m running for Prime Minister— um,isn’t that skipping a few steps, oh right, hence the name …
Oh and in case you missed it, there’s a “party atmosphere” going on in Ottawa & other cities, and in Ottawa they have bouncy castles, and saunas , and …
I feel the need to go refresh on my survival in the wilderness book .
Getting too old for this cr–
Your forecast has come to pass: enter the periwigs.
The elements of surveillance and a virtual cordon, or “red zone”, have also now been added, and city police deployed more visibly around-the-clock, ominously reporting that fuels are being stockpiled in protest garrisons inside the zone.
Police forces in other locales where obstructing truck rallies are trying to assemble are learning from the Ottawa situation and frustrating said convoy’s attempts to concentrate. Non-deputized citizens are doing the same today in Vancouver, and when BC Premier John Horgan says he has a limit, nobody doubts he means it.
In Ottawa, MSM reports that ostensible anti-vax protesters afoot are “terrorizing” businesses, residents and pedestrians wearing face-masks—especially “women and people of colour,” indicating that to portray evil, even anecdote will do.
The noose appears to be tightening as licence plates of protest vehicles leaving now before it tightens further are being recorded for potential class-action lawsuits being considered, as predicted right here. Doubtlessly the aggregator websites featuring such identification is being discussed in the guts of the red zone, and more than one white feather is beginning to show as a result. (“Oh, gosh!—I just remembered I left the bath running!! Heh, heh…gotta go! Heh,…”)
One of the aspects considered by authorities in the National Capital is probably the fact that the Conservative party looks worse every day the insurrection continues and as at least one Senator has left caucus for the party’s continued association with the insurrection. However much partisan opportunism really figures in this, one can’t help but notice that the instant Candice “MAGA“ Bergen becomes interim leader following Erin O’Toole’s dumping, she looks ready to man the MAGA camouflaged battering-ram and charge. But like a Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote gag, just as they reach top speed and clench their jaws for collision, somebody could simply open the door and let CPC freedom fighters roar through like a drag-racing car, leaving them to scud, un-splintered and exhausted, over the cliff on the other side where news media will snap silly, stop-action pics of them scrambling mid-air to get back before plummeting out of frame. As they say about ‘the money’, following the politically partisan value through the complexities raging all around and perhaps that razor glinting in the mud and the blood and the beer is inscribed “Ockham” after all.
If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Monday—after the special-edition Cross Country Checkup MoCo Radio will almost certainly devote entirely to this sordid episode of the Covid Files. “The Truth Is Out There”…
Just me— yes, but did you not notice that in his twitter statement ,all he said was that he was running for Prime Minister ,…who said anything about CPC leader, next election, …me thinks ” Skippy” is trying to live up to his name .Interesting !! Another accidental thought bubble made it to the fingers, ..
Thinking out loud,?? …..
Further to my musings about the CONs and their richly deserved dilemma courting lunatics, I am reminded of the behaviour of the likes of France’s Marie LePen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. Both are raving populists and, as it turns out, devoted allies of Vladimir Putin. There can be no doubt that being the consummate and well-schooled KGB mastermind, Putin has managed to invade the darker parts of certain countries political cultures and exploited them for his own ends. Though the CPC’s leadership swears up and down that they have had no flirtations with Putin-ism, I am tempted to consider them bold-faced liars, as their behaviour of late is pure Putin playbook.
Since it’s beginning to look like Putin maybe considering a vainglorious rush into the Ukraine, which may see his 70s and 80s vintage conventional forces smashed by US-backed Ukrainians, it maybe time to take all that collected intelligence on the CPC’s extremist behaviour and begin treason trials.
It will fill me with endless joy to see the CPC leadership brought before trial and shamed for their disgusting treasonous behaviour.
Bro Orban is a personal friend of Stephen Harper, have you heard of him ?
The guy with the lego man hair?
Actually, it took longer than I expected. The blame Putin nonsense was bound to show up I suppose.
There is more than a bit of a contradiction here with the protesters actions and intentions. First of all, if you want to gain broad public support, it is not a good idea to make a nuisance of yourself and scare people. Perhaps the protesters have already written off Ottawa’s citizens as unlikely to support them, but people in other places across the country are watching closely how they behave and judging them accordingly.
The horn honking is actually quite an effective way to gain attention. It is louder and more noticeable than a crowd at a typical protest chanting some slogan people not in the immediate vicinity can’t quite make out. However, like many effective things, it is best used sparingly and with good judgment. This doesn’t seem to have happened here. Maybe most of the protesters come from less urban areas and don’t understand how disruptive this can be, but I am sure they would not like someone coming next to their residence and blaring horns at random but frequent intervals throughout the day for many days on end.
Also unlike most protests in Canada this also features large vehicles, either moving slowly or completely blocking traffic in certain area. Again this is very disruptive for people who need to get around an area because they live or work in the area. Ironically protesting truckers have also disrupted the activity of other, non protesting truckers with their border blockade in Alberta. This can not be winning them more friends in the trucking industry.
I suspect these protesters are either clueless about the impact their actions are having on others, they don’t care, or perhaps some combination of both. The signs that proclaim “Freedom” should really say “Freedom for us and we don’t really care what the consequences are for everyone else” Of course that is a little long to fit on a sign, but it would be a much more honest assessment of the current situation. A more concise word for it is selfishness.
So, these protesters are essentially playing to the base – each other and who ever else already basically agrees with them. They will have to deal with what can happen to people who make a nuisance of themselves – people will find ways to get back at them. So, lawsuits seem one way for those whose lives have been disrupted to do this.
A sane person would not go down the path these protesters are following. Some of them are complaining about having lost their jobs, quite possibly because of refusal to get a COVID vaccination. A number still seem to have nice shiny trucks, but if the lawsuits are successful they may not eventually have those anymore. They have drunk the Kool Aid or are like a gambler with a losing hand doubling down. It will not end well for them and if they were smart they would quit this foolishness while they were ahead.
For what its worth GiveSendGo (GSG) is supposedly up to $2 million, including a $215,000 anonymous donation … but was having server issues.
Enter stage right: Rumble … we are hearing that GSG is experiencing server issues… If true, Rumble would be happy to help in anyway we can. We have equipment and engineers on standby, please feel free to reach out. …
Trump social media partners with Canadian video company?
Hmmm??
Does anyone besides me have that overwhelming urge to start carrying a banner —–Yankees ,go home— what with their flags and cowboys which MSM find so tantalizing…. where’s those antacids , I have to add to the swear jar ….
No Con will be elected in Ottawa next election. Cue the Lib ads of Candace chowing with “truckers”.
And we know names of organizers so why not protest at their homes?
One of the farmers at the YEG tantrum on Sat urged me to bring that on, of course with the “we have guns” muttered under his breath.
Cowards.
The “Mission from God/Preserve the Patriarchy” quest continues. From Ottawa:
“‘Out of respect for the Lord’s Day, for members of our military who have sacrificed and who continue to sacrifice so much for our freedom, for the men and women in blue who are doing such a superb job protecting us, and as a gesture of goodwill, members of our Convoy will desist from the blowing of Horns tomorrow, Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ottawa time,’ a news release said.”
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/downtown-ottawa-out-of-control-with-convoy-protesters-calling-the-shots-mayor-1.5769811
CBC Radio is saying that the RCMP has several criminal investigations of the Coutts blockade.
Yeah I’ll hold my breath for that right after they finish investigating kenneys election fraud
It has become apparent, to me, that the RCMP and other police forces are complicit with the anti-vaxxers. They can say what they want but, like politicians, police seem to think we can’t see what they do.
I think it has something to do with those childish punisher and thin blue line badges.
Sad state of affairs.
To: Keith and Little bird ; those same RCMP ,that the premier is trying so hard to get rid of ,to replace with more “cost effective , ahem, provincial police , ??
I observerd the Edmonton temper tantrum on Saturday and noticed a large number of farm vehicles. I am wondering if these vechicle were buring subsidized fuel, the fuel that we taxpayers are mandated to help pay for.
Also, since these corporate vehicles were not being used for their intended purpose, were these vehicles driving on public streets without insurance?
https://www.alberta.ca/farm-fuel-and-rural-utility-programs.aspx
Churches are involved in these farmer-tractor-truck-horse-whatever protests across Canada. A preacher from a church in Milk River is supplying food and other items to the Coutts blockade. Arthur Pawlowski went to Coutts. His church has already lost its charitable status. .
How many churches are diverting funds to these political protests? Isn’t this something the Canada Revenue Agency should be investigating?
Coutts mania has spread to Sarnia, Ontario, where the Blue Water Bridge to the U.S. is blocked by tractors. Lines of transport trucks have formed, unable to cross the border.
A friend in Winnipeg suggested that what Ottawa needs is a good old prairie blizzard. Maybe one lasting 5-6 days, wind chills down into the -50’s, with maybe 100 cm of snow. Maybe then the army could be called in to help clean up/out the mess.
While the FreeDUMB Convoy has been singing the praises of Elon Musk and his support, they should pause and consider that Musk may have an ulterior movement for all his Convoy trumpeting.
Tesla has built and proven concept for an EV semi tractor trailer truck, as well as self-driving vehicle technology. It could be said that this convoy may be the watershed moment for the Canadian trucking industry, where Musk and Tesla introduces their technology that will forever wipe out the occupation of the truck driver.
Imagine, a transportation technology that works at all hours, on any kind of schedule, through all conditions, without complaint, without pay, and without the tendency to demand their freeDUMB. Traveling between national borders and between urban centers, these trucks will travel to unload points outside of the centers, for cargo to streamed by short-distance local-carriers. And maybe, soon, the local-carriers will become completely automated, thus, eliminating that troublesome human component entirely.
There’s your freeDUMB. You’re welcome.
Oooooops
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/271595/20220208/givesendgo-exposed-user-data-site-freedom-convoy-donations-secured-platform.htm