Check It Out: Contradictions and historical events
By Joan Janzen
The sign read in large red letters “Danger: Alligator!” Underneath was posted another sign in green letters: “No Lifeguards. Beach is open for swimming”. Now that’s a contradiction!
Speaking of contradictions, last year, our Prime Minister expressed his views regarding a mass protest by farmers in India, saying, “The situation is concerning. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protests. We believe in the importance of dialogue.”
Meanwhile when the largest convoy in the world’s history is on his doorstep, he is hidden away at a secure location. His comment regarding the trucker’s peaceful protest was as follows: “The convoy thing needs to stop.” This contradicts his views regarding the peaceful protest in India. But he had more to say ...
“Everyone knows I am the Prime Minister that is about unity and inclusion. Please do your part to make this stop. If you have family and friends that still haven’t been vaccinated do not allow them to family dinners. Do not speak to them on the phone. Do not reply to their texts. You need to do everything you can to make life difficult for them until they comply.”
His words speak for themselves. The contradiction is blatantly obvious. I’m not sure how his strategy is working within his own family, since his half-brother Kyle Kemper, respectfully but publicly disagrees with Justin’s views. Kyle said, “I don’t believe in heavily centralized control and global government. When talking about policy there isn’t much connection between us. We have our differences. The convoy is a symbol of unity. Justin said their views are unacceptable, but unacceptable to who? Justin makes assumptions about the convoy participants.”
A US talk show host observed, “Canadians don’t do this kind of thing; they are calm and don’t get riled up.” So why are tens of thousands of Canadians participating in a peaceful protest? The common thread appears to be an intense dissatisfaction with Justin Trudeau’s leadership; Canadians have lost confidence in their government.
Those who Justin Trudeau categorizes as the “fringe” are everyday Canadians. The mainstream media is preoccupied with pointing out isolated incidents of people who have individually chosen to misrepresent the massive protest; those people are responsible for their own actions.
Meanwhile the convoy is working closely with the police to maintain a peaceful protest. To get a visual of how large this is, there are over 50,000 truckers in Ottawa, who all represent their own families. There are thousands of people who joined the convoy in Ottawa. Thousands more were cheering on the truckers throughout Canada as they travelled down the highways.
There were hundreds of trucks conducting convoys to all major cities throughout Canada - Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Regina, Toronto, Winnipeg, Prince George, as well as numerous other smaller communities. Wherever they congregate, spontaneous outbursts of the national anthem show Canadians uniting as one. In Ottawa, Indigenous drummers led the crowd at Parliament Hill in a round of “O Canada”. Canadian truckers have inspired convoys to roll out from the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thousands of Canadians have managed to donate nearly $8 million to the cause, which will help truckers with their substantial costs. I’ve heard the money will also be used to ensure clean water for the Indigenous people, something they have been waiting for the government to do.
This is an historical event, the largest convoy in the world’s history. Crowds gathered near the parliament buildings, where an inscription on a stained glass window says “Freedom is the sure possession of these alone who have courage to defend it.”
A mom attending the protest said her three-year-old was disappointed she wasn’t allowed to go into the “castle”. Sometimes wisdom is spoken out of the mouths of babes. Have our parliament buildings become castles where only the elite are allowed to have a voice? Why does our national anthem instruct us to “stand on guard for thee”? What does standing on guard look like for everyday Canadians?
We have a Prime Minister who claims to believe in the importance of dialogue, but yet hides from the masses and instructs Canadians to shut out their own family members. The good news is he’s not a family councillor; the bad news is he’s leading our country.
Are you happy with the direction our country is headed? Massive debt, massive division? When is the last time you remember hearing thousands of Canadians spontaneously singing the national anthem throughout our entire nation? It’s quite a contradiction to Trudeau’s divisive exhortations.
You can reach me at joanjanzen@hotmail.com