Who are the Freedom Truckers and what exactly do they want? Today, I talk to one of the few legacy media journalists who has bothered to go to the protests, to talk to the truckers, and to seek to answer these important questions.
00:13:08.720So they, principally they want the mandates to be dropped.
00:13:11.440That's what they want principally, but it is, there is something bigger going on.
00:13:15.120They see that the last few years they have been ignored, that they feel like they're an underclass.
00:13:21.400They feel that, um, government overreach has reached, uh, has, is, is, um, you know, has been extraordinary over the years.
00:13:32.360Um, they, you know, they, they find that, uh, they're, you know, increasingly, they increasingly feel like they're a prisoner in their own country.
00:13:41.300They can't say this is a, the, a culture of political correctness.
00:13:44.920Um, they get, uh, they're afraid of being doxxed on social media.
00:13:48.400Several of the people, um, uh, that I spoke to were uncomfortable sharing their last names, for example.
00:14:06.600And they genuinely fear, uh, uh, government reprisal.
00:14:10.440They genuinely fear, um, um, uh, um, you know, people taking their names, reporting them to their employers, getting them fired.
00:14:19.320Uh, and some of that has been happening over the last few days.
00:14:22.660Um, and so this genuine concern about, um, you know, uh, a collusion, what they see as a collusion between government, big pharma, big tech, uh, and they're all coming together
00:14:36.300to, to, uh, you know, to, to, uh, to, uh, uh, gang, uh, they're coming together and ganging up on them, essentially.
00:14:43.720Um, and so freedom, that's, that's what they're here for.
00:14:51.760It's, uh, principally about, uh, posing the mandates and, and, and ending all restrictions, ending the mask mandates, um, uh, you know, and no more lockdowns, no more restrictions.
00:15:02.180Uh, but it's about freedom and that's, uh, that's how I would, uh, distill it down to, because that's what you keep hearing, uh, constantly throughout, um, you know, day in, day in and day out, uh, the flags, it's all about freedom.
00:15:22.200Uh, we want our children's future, uh, to, to, to be, uh, you know, to be, you know, to, to, to not have these, to not have this divisiveness.
00:15:31.240They're here for unity, which is another interesting theme, um, of the, um, of the protests.
00:15:37.480Um, you know, they, they're tired of the divisiveness.
00:15:40.500They feel that there's, um, there's been a ratcheting up of that, the rhetoric from our politicians, um, uh, has been, uh, you know, as they, they, they, they, has gone up and it's created, uh, divisions in the country and they want to see an end to that.
00:15:56.820Um, and, uh, yeah, so that's, that's, that's pretty much, you know, that's, that's, that's how I would, you know, I, I would say that it's bigger than the mandates, but it's principally about freedom.
00:16:07.600It's interesting. I mean, I mean, they're not the only ones who think that the, uh, the, the, the vaccine policies has become divisive.
00:16:14.980I mean, uh, two members of Justin Trudeau's own liberal caucus have come out and said the exact same thing in recent days.
00:16:21.280Um, and, and I'm not surprised also that they fear that they don't want to give their name because they fear repercussions because you have journalists online saying, let's report the license plate numbers.
00:16:31.480Let's call the insurance companies. Let's make sure that these people lose their jobs and lose their livelihood.
00:16:35.700So I think that their fear is, is justified, uh, given what is happening in, in this situation.
00:16:41.160I want to pull one other quote that you, uh, wrote Rupa because it's so interesting.
00:16:45.400You wrote that if Trudeau sauntered down to the mess of the rigs on Wellington street, if he talked to these people for a few minutes, he would understand it will not stop.
00:16:54.060What's happening in Canada right now is bigger than the mandate.
00:16:56.240So what did you mean by it will not stop?
00:16:58.200I mean, you're, you're in Ottawa right now.
00:16:59.440We're kind of at an impasse, a standstill.
00:17:01.140Um, it seems like the police are really cracking down and Trudeau really wants these guys out right now, but, but we, we get the feeling, I get the feeling that this is so much broader than just even the folks in Ottawa, right?
00:17:13.060We saw the ambassador bridge in Windsor and Detroit completely shut down.
00:17:17.340Uh, we see another convoy out in Alberta on the Coots border with Manitoba that are doing the exact same thing, uh, over the weekend, last weekend, we saw huge rallies all over the country, Quebec city, Victoria, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto.
00:17:30.660I mean, I get the feeling that this isn't ending and it's not going anywhere, but, um, I'm interested in what you think cause you wrote, it will not stop.
00:17:38.440It will not stop until the mandates are dropped.
00:17:41.320That is what everybody has been saying, uh, that, uh, this is, um, uh, this is where they draw a line in the sand, uh, for them, um, this, this divisiveness has to stop the, they see vaccine mandates as discriminating.
00:17:55.540Um, they, uh, they, uh, they, this, they see the vaccine passport system as, um, as a tool of, uh, tool to ostracize them, uh, as publicly shaming them, you know, what is, what, uh, what is missing from the reportage, unfortunately, are, are the stories of these people.
00:18:14.920They've been hurting, um, they've been bottling up these frustrations, the anger for the last two years, um, and more so in the last few months since we've had the vaccines and the vaccine passport
00:18:25.480system, um, came into being, um, they, um, they, they, they, they, they've had an awakening.
00:19:05.040And, uh, they're, they're, uh, they're hurting, um, and, uh, and it's, they're hurting and, and while they're hurting, we're heaping on these, uh, this abusive, um, uh, rhetoric on them by calling them racist,
00:19:21.100this fringe unacceptable views, uh, what is so annex unacceptable about someone who just wants to dine at a restaurant where she works, uh, someone who, who was, uh, their lives have come to a standstill, you know, they, they, they, they, they were avid travelers at one point, but they can't, they feel like they're a prisoner in their own country because they can't get on a plane, um, uh, and go see their families, uh, in, uh, Greece or Italy or in India.
00:19:51.080Uh, um, um, some of them haven't seen their families in three years, and that, that is likely going to continue, um, uh, you know, as long as the vaccine, uh, mandate is in place.
00:20:02.080Um, and so they've had some kind, there's been an awakening.
00:20:06.260That's how I would describe it, uh, of their, of, of their rights, of, you know, what, of, of their freedom, uh, how important this is to them.
00:20:15.360Um, uh, and, uh, and that, uh, and that they're going to fight for it no matter what, um, and, uh, but they all, I should say, I've, I've, they, they're all peaceful.
00:20:25.360They'll, they'll follow all of the processes in place, uh, they're not here, uh, to overthrow the Trudeau government.
00:20:32.360Um, uh, they're not, uh, uh, that is not their objective.
00:20:36.360They, they just want the truckers and the protesters, uh, I really just want the mandates to, to go.
00:20:42.360And then they say, we'll leave, we'll leave.
00:20:44.360And we'll, we just want to get back to work.
00:20:46.360Keep in mind that many of these people, um, uh, some of the truckers are actually still working.
00:20:52.360Um, they're, they're here on vacation time.
00:20:55.360Um, uh, some people have taken time out from their work.
00:20:59.360Uh, and, and, and, and so this is, or from their families even.
00:21:03.360Uh, and, and so they, they would like to go back to their lives.
00:21:07.360It's not, it's not, not exactly a vacation here.
00:22:14.360Um, you know, even yesterday when I, when I, when I attended, uh, their, uh, the, the presser, um, uh, you know, are still open to dialogue.
00:22:24.360Um, but they haven't, uh, they, they haven't been, uh, they haven't even been acknowledged, uh, uh, by the, uh, by the government.
00:22:34.360Um, you know, they, they had no one's reached out to them.
00:22:37.360And, and, and so, um, uh, you know, so I, I think, you know, this is, this is, this is not a good situation in my view.
00:22:46.360I think, I think the government needs to meet them.
00:22:48.360I think that should have happened last week.
00:22:50.360Uh, at least hear what they have to say.
00:22:52.360Um, my, the, the impression I got on the first day when I came home and I spent all day, um, at the protest and I came home in the evening and I came home and, uh, and I, and I, and I told my partner.
00:23:05.360Um, you know, this, uh, they've, they've really misjudged this moment.
00:23:10.360There's something bigger going on here.
00:23:12.360Um, our political class is, uh, you know, are completely disconnected from what is happening here.
00:23:18.360Uh, and this is going to backfire and this is going to have political repercussions.
00:23:22.360It's going to change the political landscape, whether anyone likes it or not.
00:23:26.360Um, I tweeted this and, uh, several mainstream media journalists pounced on me and said, ah, this is just a fringe.
00:24:28.360We've seen, we saw lots and lots of rallies during the federal election, but what was happening during this convoy just felt different right from the beginning.
00:24:37.360When you saw Canadians go out on overpasses and you would just see those images of overpass after overpass after overpass.
00:24:43.360I think that inspired the truckers as well.
00:24:45.360And they started to realize that, you know, when, when the kids were handing out cookies with handwritten notes and you, you had all the kids calling in and thanking the truckers.
00:24:52.360Like, I mean, the story went around the world and it, I think it inspired people all over the world to say, look, here you have mild mannered law abiding Canadians standing up and saying enough is enough.
00:25:05.360When, when, when the Canadians are the ones that are, you know, willing to go to these extreme lengths, um, you, you can tell that they're at their breaking point.
00:25:14.360And I think that public opinion has sort of shift.
00:25:17.360I mean, I can point to half a dozen public policy changes that have happened just since this convoy.
00:25:22.360I mean, you mentioned that we had, uh, uh, the leader of the conservative party replaced.
00:25:27.360That is a direct result of the convoy, um, and, and his inability to address it in a meaningful way and respect the truckers enough to meet with them.
00:25:34.360Uh, we had two liberals come out against their own prime minister.
00:25:38.360I don't think that's happened Rupa since Justin Trudeau was elected, um, aside from the members that he ejected.
00:25:43.360Um, Jody Wilson Rabel and Phil, uh, Jane Philpott, but, but sitting members of caucus from Quebec, those are his allies, um, speaking out against him.
00:25:51.360Alberta dropped their vaccine mandate program.
00:25:54.360Saskatchewan dropped their vaccine mandate program.
00:25:56.360Manitoba announced that they are, um, loosening restrictions.
00:25:59.360Restrictions will be eased in Prince Edward Island starting on February 19th.
00:26:04.360Uh, Quebec planned to lift its pandemic restrictions in mid March.
00:26:08.360They also eliminated, um, the plan that they had to have an additional tax system.
00:26:12.360They had to have an additional tax levy on, um, people who were unvaccinated.
00:26:16.360So we're starting to see this, this tie, uh, public opinion change.
00:26:20.360There's been a couple of major studies that have come out.
00:26:22.360One from Johns Hopkins showing the lockdowns didn't really work.
00:26:25.360Uh, we've also seen a lot of public opinion polling.
00:26:28.360There was a laser poll that found that 44% of Canadians sympathize with the frustrations of the convoy.
00:26:35.360We also saw an abacus poll that found really, really remarkably, the overwhelming majority of Canadians think that, uh, Justin Trudeau has handled this situation either poorly or very poorly.
00:26:45.360Um, and interestingly, I don't know if you saw this, but, uh, Joe Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki was asked about the truckers.
00:26:53.360And, and she said that she respected them and that they have a P a right to peaceful protest.
00:26:58.360And she was, she was quite positive about them.
00:27:00.360Almost like, uh, it's just such a stark difference with Trudeau.
00:27:03.360And I think, I think that, that she, she sees the potential of this trucker convoy to come to the U S and wreak havoc.
00:27:10.360And the, um, American Democrats rely a lot more on working class voters than, than the liberals do in Canada.
00:27:16.360So I, I thought that was really interesting.
00:27:18.360And I think that, I think that more and more people see the truckers as sort of a mantle for freedom.
00:27:24.360And, and they're starting to side with them more than, more than Trudeau.
00:27:27.360What, what do you think is next for Trudeau?
00:28:41.360And, um, I, you know, I was struck by that as well.
00:28:44.360And, um, you know, it's unfortunate that that's how it ended up being portrayed, but, but Prime Minister Trudeau really needs to speak to them.
00:28:53.360What is extraordinary about this is that these people are being called occupying forces, rebel forces.
00:28:59.360I've seen journalists referring, refer to them that way as though, you know, I don't know what occupying force or rebel force would be interested in having a dialogue, but that's what they've been saying.
00:29:11.360You know, we want to speak to the prime minister, let him, why, why doesn't he hear us?
00:29:15.360Uh, you know, why, why does he continue to pour scorn on us?
00:29:19.360Um, so, and here's, here's one thing, Candace, and I wrote this recently for the national post, um, uh, that, you know, there is room for compromise.
00:29:28.360So we have, Prime Minister Trudeau, um, if you've noticed has doubled down on the vaccines or nothing.
00:29:34.360Um, um, um, and has doubled on down on vaccines or nothing.
00:29:38.360Uh, he, uh, we've have, we have therapeutics.
00:29:42.360We, uh, in this country, we do not recognize recovery from, uh, COVID.
00:29:47.360Um, uh, Germany does, um, um, um, I think Switzerland does a lot of Europe, Denmark does a lot of European countries recognize recovery from COVID.
00:29:57.360Uh, but we've taken an extraordinary position here that, uh, vaccines are the only thing that is going to get out of our, uh, get us out of the pandemic.
00:30:06.360Uh, given the fact that most of us are vaccinated, I'm triple vaccinated.
00:30:10.360I've also recovered from Omicron recently.
00:30:13.360And, um, and, and, uh, you know, and, and, but it's, it's, you know, so I'm not, you know, I, I urge people to get vaccinated.
00:30:21.360I think, I think you should, I think it does.
00:30:33.360Um, but, uh, but, but we've taken a very, um, um, you know, extreme position here that if you are not vaccinated, you're not going to get out of the pandemic.
00:30:43.360Uh, given the fact that we're, you know, a country that is, that has had one of, has one of the highest vaccine rates in the world.
00:30:51.360Um, so, and what is also happening here is that Canada is increasingly an outlier, uh, among, uh, developed, uh, Western countries, uh, where, where, where they're, uh, seeing the end game of the pandemic.
00:31:05.360Uh, they're, they're getting, uh, so yesterday, New York, um, got rid of, uh, indoor mask use.
00:31:12.360Um, uh, uh, Europe is getting rid of, uh, some European countries, um, are, uh, you know, are dismantling the vaccine passport system like Switzerland.
00:31:23.360Um, and, and, uh, and what is extraordinary here is that we're doubling down on these things.
00:31:28.360Um, and we're not recognizing, um, a recovery from infection, which is, which I think is an important step to take.
00:31:36.360I think it would be something that should come from our public health officials.
00:31:40.360I'm not sure why they refuse to do that.
00:31:42.360Several of the people that I've met at the protests, uh, have had COVID.
00:31:46.360Um, I, I don't know if you're aware of a recent, uh, CDC study that came out, uh, saying that people who've recovered from COVID have very high antibodies, um, uh, even higher than those of us who've been vaccinated.
00:32:17.360Um, yesterday I, I saw a news report, uh, that, uh, that, you know, uh, if you live in Ontario, you can now finally get these rapid tests by walking into a pharmacy or a grocery store.
00:32:29.360You know, the rest of the world, including India, where I originally come from, that's been the case for more than a year.
00:32:44.360Why are we so, uh, you know, behind on something as basic as rapid tests?
00:32:49.360Uh, because rapid tests was something that could have been a lot more useful during the previous Delta waves.
00:32:55.360I'm not even sure that it accurately will let you know whether you have Omicron or not.
00:33:00.360I've heard really competing stories in my own family.
00:33:02.360Uh, we had to test my son like five times, even though we knew that he had COVID.
00:33:05.360We knew he'd be exposed to a swim coach and he was showing the symptoms and he kept testing negative on these rapid tests.
00:33:12.360And we finally took him in for a PCR and it was positive.
00:33:14.360I don't even know why we bothered because it was just, I guess, peace of mind to confirm it.
00:33:18.360But, uh, I've had, I've had just even in my own household, so many weird instances where someone's positive one day and negative the next day.
00:33:25.360It's like, I'm not sure how, how accurate those are, but I get, I get your point that Canada just seems to be really dead set on vaccines and not looking at even, even sort of the underlying health issues.
00:33:37.360I, I took issue with a Trudeau, um, for her, his former health minister.
00:33:41.360I actually, I'm not sure if she's still the health minister, Patty Haju, but she said that she didn't recommend people take vitamin D supplements.
00:33:47.360Uh, which is, is really, really puzzling.
00:33:50.360Um, given what we know about the, a number of people who have COVID who also have vitamin D deficiencies and there have been lots of studies.
00:33:58.360And so the fact that she's telling people not to take vitamin D supplements is just curious because it's like, why, why wouldn't you tell people to do everything they can to be healthy?
00:34:07.360Go outside and get exercise, get some fresh air, make sure you eat a healthy diet, take vitamin D supplements.
00:34:12.360We live in the north and we don't get a lot of sun during the winter.
00:34:14.360Like it just seems like some of those basic messages have never been communicated to the public.
00:34:19.360In fact, what is striking, um, is that, and I have doctors in my family and they say, you know, what is missing from the messaging here from our public health officials is that, uh, they don't, nobody even talks about, uh, trying to be healthy, trying to stay fit.
00:34:35.360It's trying to, you know, so you close gyms, uh, which is extraordinary when, you know, that could actually help you, uh, you know, give you the tools to fight COVID if you were to get it.
00:34:46.360Um, so we've, we've had it completely backwards.
00:34:49.360For example, gyms in the UK were open during Omicron.
00:34:54.360Uh, we, we, we just, we just, we, the first sign of trouble here.
00:34:58.360We, we shut everything down like the Rideau center, which is, which has been closed indefinitely, but the businesses around it are, uh, are, you know, are open.
00:35:06.360Um, so, you know, I think, I think it's, it's important that our, our political class, our political elites, uh, uh, uh, principally, uh, prime minister,
00:35:16.360Trudeau, uh, they need to really think long and hard, uh, about what is happening in the country right now.
00:35:22.360Um, and, and, and, and, and listen to, you know, and pay attention to the frustrations of these individuals.
00:35:28.360They are, you're there, you're the prime minister of all Canadians, not just those who voted for you.
00:35:34.360Um, and these frustrations are real, uh, uh, and, and, and the, and some of the stories are heartbreaking.
00:35:42.360Um, and, and he really needs to, uh, diffuse the situation, um, uh, go and speak to the convoy organizers, uh, hear them out, uh, chart out a plan.
00:35:54.360Um, you know, what is, what is, what is happening right now is that we, um, don't seem to have an end game in sight.
00:36:01.360Um, yesterday, the health minister, uh, in Ontario, uh, refused to tell us when, when we're gonna get out of this.
00:36:09.360Um, you know, this roadmap is all well and good, but, you know, it doesn't really get us back to 2019, does it?
00:36:15.360Uh, when the rest of the world is moving in that, uh, direction.
00:36:18.360Um, so, you know, it raises questions.
00:36:21.360Why, what, what, what is going on here?
00:36:41.360Uh, and, uh, but, you know, I'll also tell you, uh, Candace that, um, uh, what I've also now seen is that, um, you know, I'm, it's, it's not, it's, it's in, I've been noticing it.
00:36:53.360This is even before the, uh, protesters on the convoy arrived in Ottawa.
00:36:58.360Uh, people who are triple vaccinated are living in fear.
00:37:02.360They're walking around with masks outdoors.
00:37:06.360I, I never, I never thought that I would see that.
00:37:46.360You still had COVID like so many other Canadians.
00:37:48.360I know so many Canadians that are double, triple vaxxed, still got COVID, including everyone in my household.
00:37:52.360And, and yet here you are still wearing a mask, still imposing all of these things.
00:37:57.360So it's, it's really hard to believe him when he doesn't even live up to what he's saying.
00:38:03.360His, his rhetoric doesn't match his own actions.
00:38:05.360And, and that those images are powerful when you see the prime minister of the country at a press conference outside and there's really no one else around.
00:38:13.360You know, there's a lot of distance between him and whoever is there.
00:38:45.360We're walking around in masks, looking grumpy, their shoulders, you know, stooped and, you know, they're slouching and you can see them, you can spot them.
00:38:56.360And, you know, so it, it tells me, it tells me that this, this, this, I don't know how big this is, how, how big their numbers are.
00:39:06.360It tells me that I, some people are just not ready to say goodbye to the pandemic.
00:39:10.360Now, how much of that is reflected in the decisions that our politicians are making?
00:39:16.360I don't know, because at the end of the day, they're also humans.
00:39:19.360They're also, you know, they're also susceptible to the fear and, and concerns about going back to normal life.
00:39:29.360But, but, but it is quite extraordinary.
00:39:32.360And, and, and so, you know, I think, I think going back to your question, I do think that Prime Minister Trudeau, it's time for him to speak to them.
00:39:40.360This is not a good look for the country, Candace.
00:39:43.360I'm getting messages from people all over the world saying, you know, what is going on?
00:39:48.360I mean, he's, you know, why doesn't he talk to them?
00:39:51.360Why doesn't he, why doesn't he, why doesn't he speak to them?
00:39:57.360And, and, you know, and you mentioned Joe Biden's press secretary.
00:40:01.360I think, you know, I think there's another element to this.
00:40:03.360Politicians everywhere else are watching this.
00:40:06.360And I think they're, and they're, and they're taking notes.
00:40:10.360And, and, and they, and they're saying, look, I, I don't think it's a good idea for us to double down the way Justin Trudeau has because, you know, we're going to see mass protest movements here as well.
00:40:21.360And, and that's not something we want to deal with right now.
00:40:27.360And I think that's, you know, probably because of the truckers and, but again, we're an outlier here.
00:40:35.360I don't know what, what, what, what the thinking here is.
00:40:38.360I don't know how Trudeau comes out of this.
00:40:41.360You know, how this is advantageous for Trudeau politically.
00:40:46.360I remember early on in the protest, several people were saying, oh, this is, you know, Trudeau is going to get, win a majority in the next election.
00:40:55.360This is a done deal because these, these people have managed to do that.
00:41:30.360Well, it's so, it's so interesting to hear your perspective, Rupa.
00:41:34.360And I really appreciate not, not just coming on the show, cause it's great to talk to you, but I appreciate the fact that you go out there, you go against the grain.
00:41:40.360You don't just do what everyone else in the legacy media does.
00:41:43.360And you really sought to tell the other side of the story.
00:41:46.360So it's great to, great to have you on the show.