Juno News - May 03, 2023


Convoy trucker ‘confident’ in face of four criminal charges (ft. Harold Jonker)

Topics
charges and trucking business
Mentioned
Harold Jonker Andrew Lawton Rachel Emanuel Mazzaluna Niagara
The equity agenda is ruining academia (feat. Dr. Carol Swain) The cost of speaking out as a teacher (Ft. Chanel Pfahl)

Episode Stats


Length

9 minutes

Words per minute

182.05

Word count

1,663

Sentence count

99

Harmful content

Toxicity

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Harold Jonker was a mainstay in the Freedom Convoy protest last year in Ottawa. Now, 14 and a half months later, he is facing 4 criminal charges for his role in this protest. Today, I speak to him from a truck stop.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Today, I wanted to speak to Harold Jonker, who is a man that may be very familiar to
00:00:12.940 many of you.
00:00:13.500 He was a mainstay, I think, in the Freedom Convoy protest last year in Ottawa.
00:00:18.600 He's also had his run-ins in his town of, I think, West Lincoln, when a lot of people
00:00:24.480 didn't like that he took a stand for freedom.
00:00:26.540 And now, 14 and a half months after the Freedom Convoy packed up and left Ottawa, he is facing
00:00:34.840 four criminal charges for his role in this protest.
00:00:39.360 Here's a clip of Harold Jonker after he checked in with the police in his area of Niagara region
00:00:45.780 and learned what he was being charged with.
00:00:48.920 Harold Jonker here, and I just came out of the Niagara Police Station.
00:00:53.780 I've been officially charged with four counts of criminal charges, one count of mischief,
00:01:04.140 obstruct property, one count of intimidation by blocking or obstructing highway, and then
00:01:12.160 two counts of counsel, counsel and uncommittable, no, sorry, counsel and uncommitted indictable
00:01:21.260 offense, whatever that means.
00:01:23.540 We'll find out when we go to Ottawa, I imagine.
00:01:26.300 Harold joining us now, I believe, from his truck, which is quite fitting, given what we're discussing
00:01:31.540 here.
00:01:31.900 Harold, it's good to talk to you.
00:01:33.040 Thanks for coming on today.
00:01:34.100 Yeah, thank you for having me.
00:01:36.600 I hope I have enough, good enough service here at Mazzaluna.
00:01:41.840 Every eight hours, I've got to take a half-hour break, so I'm taking that half-hour break
00:01:46.400 while I'm on the show here, so sitting here in a truck stop.
00:01:50.340 Well, I'm honoured you're spending your break talking to us.
00:01:53.640 We had a bit of a lag at the beginning, but it corrected at the end, so hopefully we'll
00:01:57.380 be able to get through this.
00:01:58.360 I played the clip of you reading the charges, but did this come out of nowhere for you,
00:02:04.300 or was this something you kind of saw coming?
00:02:07.480 It came as a surprise, but not as a shock.
00:02:10.460 It came as a surprise that 14 months later, they're still doing this, and we'll see.
00:02:15.660 I'm very thankful the JCCF has been willing to take my case on.
00:02:23.160 They were helping me with a few other lawsuits that we were named in, so yeah, we're going
00:02:27.940 to be busy with lawyers for a while, so May 10th, I've got to turn myself in, and we'll
00:02:33.100 see what happens.
00:02:35.040 The Lord willing, the truth prevails.
00:02:37.500 It always does.
00:02:38.160 It just sometimes takes a long time.
00:02:41.320 You know, I mentioned earlier, and I didn't mean to downplay your role in this, because
00:02:45.500 I know a lot of people speak very favourably of you.
00:02:47.620 I know you were interviewed in my colleague Rachel Emanuel's documentary about the convoy,
00:02:52.740 the freedom occupation, but you were never one of the most high-profile front and centre
00:02:57.400 people in this.
00:02:58.200 You weren't the one that was on TV doing the press conferences.
00:03:00.940 You weren't the one handling the money.
00:03:02.520 So why do you think you're being targeted?
00:03:05.380 That's a good question.
00:03:06.640 Like what one of the other leaders said, too, it's like, you know, why are they going
00:03:13.320 after a father of 13?
00:03:14.820 You know, I've got a grandfather.
00:03:17.760 I've got one granddaughter.
00:03:18.960 And, and, and, and yeah, like, why me out of everybody that was there?
00:03:24.100 So it's, it's, it's kind of interesting to definitely scratch in your head.
00:03:27.080 But at the same time, I was, I was Niagara's captain going in and it was, so yeah, interesting.
00:03:37.160 Definitely everybody's scratching their head.
00:03:38.900 Now, are you nervous about, and again, I don't know the nature of, of your trucking business.
00:03:44.160 So perhaps you could elaborate on that, but are you nervous about the effect that these
00:03:47.380 charges could have on your ability to do your work?
00:03:49.560 Yeah, that's where the greatest concern is.
00:03:54.020 I, I, I, I don't think, well, I know I'm not guilty.
00:04:00.260 That's one thing, but to see where it ends up, if I do have criminal charges against me
00:04:04.680 and I, and, and that sticks, then I don't think I'll be able to cross the border. 0.51
00:04:10.200 I, that's going to suck.
00:04:12.480 I don't need to per se.
00:04:14.380 I got other work that I can keep busy with in the office, but I do enjoy what I'm doing.
00:04:18.980 And that's trucking across the continent and enjoying that part of the job.
00:04:24.780 So there's some concern there, but at the same time, no, I'm not concerned.
00:04:30.360 You know, the truth, like I said earlier, the truth will prevail and I don't, I, you
00:04:36.360 don't know where it goes, right?
00:04:37.500 But hopefully we, we can show to the judge, the end of the courts there that we're not
00:04:43.200 guilty and continue on in our life of traveling of this continent into the U.S.
00:04:48.080 as, as much as I do and crossing Canada as much as I do.
00:04:52.180 So, um, yeah, if, if I do get charged, we'll, we'll have to adjust life somewhat, but not
00:04:59.220 to worry.
00:05:00.500 Right now you're, you're coming across as I'd say quite nonchalant about it.
00:05:04.680 I know in that video, uh, the full version that I played the clip from earlier, you were
00:05:08.580 cracking jokes about being a, you know, a mischievous person.
00:05:11.480 Um, so how do you take this and not be angry?
00:05:15.200 How do you take this and not be upset about this?
00:05:17.700 I mean, how do you just let this roll off your back as well as you seem to be doing?
00:05:22.500 Um, I, my, my, my Christian background, I, um, I, I'm comforted in the fact that we, we
00:05:28.920 are called to speak the truth.
00:05:30.340 And, and after that, it's not up to us.
00:05:33.460 So we're, that, that does give me the greatest comfort that, that anybody can receive.
00:05:39.640 You know, we were called to, to do the best we can.
00:05:42.600 And after that, we, we need to leave it in, in, in the good Lord's hand.
00:05:45.460 And that's where it is with me.
00:05:47.400 I, I'm confident that the Lord has a plan.
00:05:50.420 What it exactly is, we'll find out.
00:05:52.720 Um, and yeah, it's, uh, it, it might be interesting where it goes, but life is supposed to be
00:06:00.780 interesting.
00:06:01.200 So looking forward to, to whatever the Lord decides to do with me.
00:06:05.840 Uh, now you mentioned that the, uh, the justice center for constitutional freedoms is taking
00:06:10.740 up your case.
00:06:11.300 And I, I should just disclose to my audience as I do, whenever I bring up the, the JCCF
00:06:15.560 that I am on the board of that organization, but that has no bearing on, uh, me doing this
00:06:19.900 interview, uh, but I will say that the one thing we've seen in a lot of the cases that
00:06:25.260 came up in the convoy, uh, a lot of the criminal cases that they've been quietly dropped.
00:06:30.200 We've seen over the last 14 months, uh, in, in several instances of the crown, just withdraw
00:06:35.320 charges or decide not to proceed with them.
00:06:37.600 And I do find it just baffling that they're still adding new charges when they've already
00:06:43.180 decided that many of the previous people they've charged were not worth prosecuting.
00:06:47.300 Um, yeah, that's where, when I talked to a few of, uh, the people that I trust in my
00:06:53.340 life that I've met since, um, well, in the last year and a half, that's the same thing.
00:06:58.300 They're, they're, they're, they're all struck, struck, scratching their heads going, why now
00:07:02.740 and why you, and yeah, it is, um, something that, uh, is interesting, but definitely thankful
00:07:11.680 for the, uh, the work that a bunch of, uh, lawyers are doing and are willing to do and
00:07:17.060 what the JCCF is doing has been, um, it's been great.
00:07:20.080 It's, it's, um, and, and that gives you that, um, that comfort, right?
00:07:24.900 We're, we're not alone.
00:07:26.020 There's people out here that are willing to help.
00:07:28.280 And I've been humbled by the amount of support I've been receiving from people across Canada,
00:07:34.400 uh, people, uh, praying for me, people frustrated and angry and all kinds of emotions that you're,
00:07:42.860 you're, and, and you're feeling them yourselves as well.
00:07:45.340 Right.
00:07:45.680 And that's, what's been so, so beautiful about being where I am today is, is this country
00:07:52.040 has a lot of great people and they're, um, they're, they're willing to help where they
00:07:57.020 can.
00:07:57.300 And that's, that's part of my comfort as well.
00:07:59.660 I, I'm not going to be facing this alone.
00:08:01.680 Um, I've been blessed with a wife for 25 years and she, she crackedly, uh, said a joke
00:08:07.680 that, that, um, yeah, if you end up in jail, then, um, yeah, you're, you're, uh, whatever.
00:08:14.240 I, I can't really say it on online.
00:08:15.940 Right.
00:08:16.220 But it was kind of funny that she actually, I think I know what the joke was and you're,
00:08:21.280 you're a wise man to not repeat it.
00:08:22.820 But, uh, uh, Harold, I, I'm so glad you're, you're taking this as stride.
00:08:26.580 I'm so glad you, you have that background and faith to, to guide you through this.
00:08:30.620 And, uh, I'm very grateful, uh, that we, we got that connection working because it was
00:08:34.400 a delight to talk to you and we wish you well in this.
00:08:37.980 Yes.
00:08:38.400 Stay in touch.
00:08:38.940 Thanks, Andrew.
00:08:39.540 All right.
00:08:40.060 I haven't been able to read your book yet, but someday when my emotions have the energy
00:08:43.860 to do it, I'll, I look forward to going through that.
00:08:46.200 It's sitting on my, uh, my counter and, uh, it's going to have to be read sometime, but
00:08:51.720 well, that's kind of you to say, and I think it's also an audio book.
00:08:54.200 So if you want to listen to it on your drives, it, uh, it is available to you, but I appreciate
00:08:57.920 that very much, sir.
00:08:58.740 All right.
00:08:59.580 Thank you.
00:09:00.300 Thanks for listening to the Andrew Lawton show.
00:09:02.640 Support the program by donating to true north at www.tnc.news.
00:09:08.020 Thank you.