Juno News - May 03, 2023


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


Episode Stats

Length

9 minutes

Words per Minute

182.05371

Word Count

1,663

Sentence Count

92


Summary


Transcript

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.
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.