Trudeau catastrophically underestimated the truckers (ft. Rupa Subramanya)
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Summary
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.
Transcript
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Who are the truckers and what exactly do they want?
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Today, I talked to one of the very few legacy media journalists who has bothered to go to the protests,
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to talk to the truckers, and to seek to answer these very important questions.
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I'm Candice Malcolm, and this is The Candice Malcolm Show.
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Hi everyone, thank you so much for tuning into the podcast.
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So we continue to look at the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa,
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continue to try to look closely at it and answer some of the questions that are being neglected
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Yesterday on the show, we tried to tackle the question of why the legacy media tried to smear this convoy.
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Why were they so quick to assume the very worst about the protesters?
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And why did they fail to cover the protests in good faith?
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I was joined by Jonathan Kay, who is the editor of Great Interview.
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Today, I want to ask another meaningful question that is being neglected
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and failed to be questioned or answered by the legacy media.
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And that is finding out who these truckers are.
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Which is something that's frankly out of character for people who are used to just keeping their head down,
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working hard, doing what they have to do to survive.
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They're getting involved in the political and democratic process
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in a way that they probably haven't ever before in their life.
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So who are these truckers and what exactly do they want?
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What is it that they're trying to accomplish by being on Parliament Hill and being in the midst of this standstill?
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So the media were very quick to jump onto Justin Trudeau's petty, divisive, partisan attacks about the truckers.
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They assumed that these truckers were dangerous.
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Well, my guest today is challenging all of those very assumptions.
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And in a recent piece that she wrote, a beautifully written and beautiful photographs that she wrote for Barry Weiss's Substack,
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she refutes some of these claims and tries to understand more about these truckers,
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She used to write for the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy Magazine.
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And she is a distinguished fellow at the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada.
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And like I said, she was one of the few journalists who bothered to go in and take a closer look at these truckers.
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So, Rupa, thank you so much for joining the podcast.
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So you live in Ottawa and you have been covering these protests very closely.
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So I want to ask you, how did it feel for you to go into the crowd?
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Well, when I first got there on the first Saturday of the protests, I went with it keeping an open mind.
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I'd read all of the news stories about some of the more unpleasant aspects of the convoy.
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That, you know, there are some people attached to the movement who have white supremacist views and, you know, and they wanted to topple the government.
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And, you know, and so I'd read all of these stories.
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Just, you know, I wanted to check it out for myself as a resident of the city.
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I wasn't going there as a journalist or as a columnist.
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You know, I just really wanted to see what was going on and make up my own mind.
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And so my first impressions were that it was like a carnival-like atmosphere.
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I have never seen anything like this in Ottawa.
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Of course, you had the sound of honking trucks, the trucks honking.
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And, you know, it was a carnival-like atmosphere.
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My first impression was that this looks a bit like Canada Day.
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You know, I couldn't believe just how many people had shown up, you know, on an extremely cold day.
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We had multiple extreme cold warnings from Environment Canada, frostbite within minutes of exposure.
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And I, you know, and I, and I, and I'm, you know, very active outdoors in the winter.
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And so that, that was an important part of, you know, of, of, you know, what I'd observed, that there was commitment.
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You know, these were, these were people not, these people were not showing up because the weather was good.
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And, you know, and, and, and, and, and, but it was, it was cold.
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And, and you had, I think, Ottawa police estimated that about 8,000 to 10,000 people showed up on that first day.
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And that's extraordinary for, for, for this time of year.
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And that too, in such extreme weather conditions.
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And, and I, as I made my way through the crowd, I noticed that there was a fair bit of diversity.
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Of course, the overwhelming demographic characteristic of this protest is white, but we're overwhelmingly white in this country.
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But there's, there was, I did notice C Canadians.
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I, I noticed First Nations and, and, and people from Quebec, people from Alberta, people from Manitoba.
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These are people who've driven, you know, long distances to get here, to make their voices heard.
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And so I was, so the diversity of it was the other aspect of it.
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Um, what was really striking was the friendliness of it all.
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Uh, you cannot walk through those streets without someone making an, uh, making eye contact with you and smiling, uh, or just random people just coming up to you and giving you a hug.
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Um, there was a woman who had a, uh, hug me placard on her back.
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I, I, and, and, and, and there was a spontaneous, um, uh, hugging of people and, uh, and, you know, and it, it was, it was electric.
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There were block parties, um, and, uh, there were DJs spinning tunes.
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I, I, I, I, it was, it almost felt like, you know, there was this great unleashing of all of the stress and worries that people had been carrying for the last two years or so.
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Um, especially those who, uh, have felt ostracized, uh, because of their, uh, uh, vax status or the fact that they're unvaccinated.
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Um, uh, I, I spoke to people who are vaccinated, uh, but showed up, uh, in solidarity, uh, uh, uh, with, with those who are unvaccinated because they oppose the mandates.
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I was really struck on the first day at seeing many people carrying a copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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That was very, very, so for me, I was, I was thinking, well, why, why would insurrectionists be carrying the Charter of Rights and Freedom?
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Uh, but I saw a lot of people doing that and, uh, and I saw messages of hope, peace, unity.
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Um, I did not see the swastika flags or the Confederate flags.
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Uh, I'm not, I'm not denying that they were there.
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You know, I'm not denying that they did, that they showed up at the protest.
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Uh, look, they've been around since, they've been around for 10 days.
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Um, and apart for those first couple of days where these flags were spotted, uh, across
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the city, it was that one truck that kept driving around with a Confederate flag.
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I, I'm sure you, you've seen that image as well.
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And there was this other image of someone carrying a swastika flag.
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Um, those, those images, those people haven't shown up.
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In fact, what's happened is the movement has gotten really, um, big.
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It, it, it, it almost, I hate, you know, I, you know, it almost sounds like it's inclusive,
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you know, it's, it's, it's inclusive of so many, uh, different types of people.
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It's inviting, uh, their, their, their soup kitchens have, uh, uh, popped up all over,
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Um, you can, I, I, you know, I just walk, walk around, I can grab a cookie, I can get a
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It's all free, um, uh, you know, I see them feeding a lot of homeless people, uh, around
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here, um, the downtown core is, um, you know, has several homeless shelters, um, and, uh,
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some of them have been doing really badly during the pandemic, um, and, uh, um, and, and so,
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you know, it was nice to see, um, them being fed and being taken care of, uh, they've joined
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I've seen them dancing, I've, I've seen them happy, uh, which is extraordinary, uh, there,
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there was something nice about that, uh, you know, we just, uh, and I, and I, you know,
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I, I, I also say this, you know, as someone who lives in the city, I often just don't even pay
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I just walk by them, but, but, but, you know, the last few days I've, I've, I've stopped to
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see the expressions on their faces and they seem happy.
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They're, they're, you know, they're being, you know, people are speaking to them, people
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are inviting them to their, um, uh, to these block parties.
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It's, it's all very, uh, inclusive and there's a party like atmosphere every day.
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So just to sort of unpack what you just said, because so much of the things that you said
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in your own experiences, your own sort of eyewitness understanding of the convoys is in such
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stark contrast to the legacy media narrative and the things that Justin Trudeau says, you know,
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we hear from legacy media that these people are stealing from the homeless.
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Um, you're describing that they're helping care for the homeless.
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Um, you know, the media try to characterize the whole group, um, by a few French people
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who showed up for one, for one day and didn't come back.
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I want to pick up on some of the things that you wrote about in your piece, because I just
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So, so, so first of all, you, you spoke to over 100 protesters gathered in the nation's
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capital and you, you write that what's happening is far bigger than the vaccine mandates.
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And one of the themes that I noticed in your piece, Rupa, is that you talk about how these
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people feel invisible, that they feel ignored, that they feel that the elites don't understand
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And I was wondering if you could, um, expand on that.
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One of the lines you wrote, um, the elites, the people who have zoomed their way through the
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pandemic, it's kind of funny because you and I are on zoom right now.
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And so I think we fit into that later category.
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Um, however, I think unlike sort of the elites that they're talking about, um, I think that
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you and I try to have a better understanding of what it's like for other people who haven't
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been able to have luxury of working from home easily.
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Like some people have had to work through the pandemic.
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And so you write the elites had better start paying attention to the fentanyl overdoses,
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So, so, so what else is the, is, is the protest about aside from just wanting to, and the
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mandates, wanting to have their freedom back and, and, and you sort of write the elites
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So I wonder, um, if you could expand on that a little bit.
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Well, um, it's, it, it is, it is principally about opposing the mandates.
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Uh, uh, you speak to anyone here, the truckers, the protesters, they just want the mandates
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They want their, uh, medical status to be private.
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Um, uh, it, uh, uh, you know, they, they, they see that and, you know, infringement of their
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privacy, uh, they, uh, they see, uh, this is, uh, they, they, they, they, um, they want
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Um, and, uh, what, what was striking about my, what was striking about the conversations
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I had with some of these people is that they're not anti-vaxxers, not all of them.
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Uh, many of them have actually taken other vaccines.
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Um, but they just don't want to take this, this particular vaccine because for one thing,
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they, uh, feel that it hasn't been out for too long.
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Um, number two, they feel that, um, it's, um, the, the messaging around it has been very,
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The, uh, the rhetoric around us around it is divisive, um, and they just feel uncomfortable,
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Um, and, um, and, and then, so, um, you know, it's, it's just, um, um, sorry, I'm just losing
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So, uh, but, uh, just asking about, you know, like, what, like what, what is it?
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So they, principally, they want the mandates to be dropped.
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They see that the last few years, they have been ignored, that they feel like they're
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They feel that, um, government overreach has reached, uh, has, has, is, is, um, you know,
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Um, they, you know, they, they find that, uh, they're, you know, increasingly, they increasingly
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feel like they're a prisoner in their own country.
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They can't say this as a, the culture of political correctness.
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Um, they get, uh, they're afraid of being doxed on social media.
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Several of the people, um, uh, that I spoke to were uncomfortable sharing their last names,
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Um, and I asked them, you know, why, um, you know, why are you, what are you so afraid
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You're here standing up to the government, which is right there.
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And they genuinely fear, uh, uh, government reprisal.
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They genuinely fear, um, um, um, you know, people taking their names, reporting them to
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Uh, and some of that has been happening over the last few days.
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Um, and so this genuine concern about, um, you know, uh, a collusion, what they see as
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a collusion between government, big pharma, big tech, uh, and they're all coming together
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to, to, uh, you know, to, to, uh, to, uh, gang, uh, they're coming together and ganging
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Um, and so freedom, that's, that's what they're here for.
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It's principally about opposing the mandates and, and, and ending all restrictions, ending
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the mask mandates, um, uh, uh, you know, and no more lockdowns, no more restrictions,
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And that's, uh, that's how I would, uh, distill it down to, because that's what you keep hearing,
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uh, constantly throughout, um, you know, day in, day in and day out, uh, the flags, it's
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Uh, we want our children's future, uh, to, to, to be, uh, you know, to be, you know, to,
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to, to not have these, to not have this divisiveness.
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They're here for unity, which is another interesting theme, um, of the, um, of the protests.
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Um, you know, they, they're tired of the divisiveness.
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They feel that there's, um, there's been a ratcheting up of that.
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The rhetoric from our politicians, um, uh, has been, uh, you know, as the, the, the,
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has gone up and it's created, uh, divisions in the country and they want to see an end to
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Um, and, uh, yeah, so that's, that's, that's pretty much, you know, that's, that's, that's
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how I would, you know, I would say that it's bigger than the mandates, but it's principally
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I mean, I mean, they're not the only ones who think that the, uh, the, the, the vaccine
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I mean, uh, two members of Justin Trudeau's own liberal caucus have come out and said the
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Um, and, and I'm not surprised also that they fear that they don't want to give their name
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because they fear repercussions because you have journalists online saying, let's report
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Let's make sure that these people lose their jobs and lose their livelihood.
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So I think that their fear is, is justified, uh, given what is happening in, in this situation.
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I want to pull one other quote that you wrote, Rupa, because it's so interesting.
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You wrote that if Trudeau sauntered down to the mess of the rigs on Wellington street, if
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he talked to these people for a few minutes, he would understand it will not stop.
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What's happening in Canada right now is bigger than the mandate.
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Um, it seems like the police are really cracking down and Trudeau really wants these guys out
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right now, but, but we, we get the feeling, I get the feeling that this is so much broader
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We saw the ambassador bridge in Windsor and Detroit completely shut down.
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Uh, we see another convoy out in Alberta on the Coutts border with Manitoba that are doing
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the exact same thing, uh, over the weekend, last weekend, we saw huge rallies all over
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the country, Quebec city, Victoria, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto.
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I mean, I get the feeling that this isn't ending and it's not going anywhere, but, um,
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I'm interested in what you think because you wrote, it will not stop.
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It will not stop until the mandates are dropped.
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That is what everybody has been saying, uh, that, uh, this is, um, uh, this is where they
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draw a line in the sand, uh, for them, um, this, this divisiveness has to stop the, they
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Um, they, uh, they, this, they see the vaccine passport system as, um, as a tool of, uh, tool
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to ostracize them, uh, as publicly shaming them.
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You know, what is, what, uh, what is missing from the reportage, unfortunately, are, are the
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Um, they've been bottling up these frustrations, the anger for the last two years, um, and more
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so in the last few months, since we've had the vaccines and the vaccine passport system,
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um, came into being, um, they, um, they, they, they, they, they've had an awakening.
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Many of these people didn't really care for politics.
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They're too busy, um, you know, driving their trucks.
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They're, uh, frontline workers, like grocery store workers.
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I've even met some civil servants who've been, um, suspended, uh, without, uh, with, without
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I'm not sure what, what, uh, what that, what that is exactly.
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I think it's without pay if you're unvaccinated.
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And, uh, they're, they're, uh, they're hurting, um, and, uh, and it's, they're hurting and,
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and, and while they're hurting, we're heaping on these, uh, this abusive, um, uh, rhetoric
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on them by calling them racist, fringe, unacceptable views.
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Uh, what is so on next unacceptable about someone who just wants to dine at a restaurant where
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she works, uh, someone who, who was, uh, their lives have come to a standstill.
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You know, they, they, they, they, they, they were avid travelers at one point, but they
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can't, they, they feel like they're a prisoner in their own country because they can't get
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on a plane, um, uh, and go see their families, uh, in, uh, Greece or Italy or in India.
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Uh, um, some of them haven't seen their families in three years and that, that is likely going
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to continue, um, uh, you know, as long as the vaccine, uh, mandate is in place.
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Um, and so they've had some kind, there's been an awakening.
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That's how I would describe it, uh, of their, of, of their rights, of, you know, what, of,
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of their freedom, uh, how important this is to them, uh, and, uh, and that, uh, and that
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Um, and, uh, but they all, I should say, I've, I've, they, they're all peaceful.
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They'll, they'll follow all of the processes in place.
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Uh, they're not here, uh, to overthrow the Trudeau government.
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Um, uh, they're not, uh, uh, that is not their objective.
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They, they just want the truckers and the protesters, uh, really just want the mandates to, to go.
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Keep in mind that many of these people, um, some of the truckers are actually still working.
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Um, uh, some people have taken time out from their work, uh, and, and, and, and so this
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is, or from their families even, uh, and, and so they, they would like to go back to their
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Uh, it's not, it's not, not exactly a vacation here.
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If you're sitting in your truck, um, I don't know if you've been inside one of these big rigs,
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uh, and I, and I did, they're, they're very difficult to get into and some of them come
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equipped with the, uh, with, um, with a bunk bed.
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Um, it's a tiny little space, but imagine spending 10 days, um, in that, uh, day in and
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day out, you're just sitting in your truck doing nothing.
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Um, the truckers will say, look, you know, we're used to this, you know, this is what
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Sometimes our families come with us, but it is quite extraordinary.
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Um, and, uh, so, you know, that's, that's, you know, I think that's what they're, they're
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And they're saying, they also say that there's, I'm standing up for your freedom.
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Um, and, uh, and, and, and, you know, and I, and I'm, I'm not going to stop till, uh, till
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And what is extraordinary about this so far is that, uh, Prime Minister Trudeau, um, refuses
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The organizers, um, you know, even yesterday when I, when I, when I attended, uh, their,
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uh, the presser, um, uh, you know, are still open to dialogue, uh, but they haven't, uh,
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they, they haven't been, uh, they haven't even been acknowledged, uh, uh, by the, uh, by
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the government, um, you know, they, they had, no one's reached out to them.
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And, and, and so, um, uh, you know, so I, I think, you know, this is, this is, this is
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I think, I think the government needs to meet them.
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Um, my, the, the impression I got on the first day when I came home and I spent all day, um,
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at the protest and I came home in the evening and I came home and, uh, and I, and I, and
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I told my partner, um, you know, this, uh, they've, they've really misjudged this moment.
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Um, our political class is, uh, you know, are completely disconnected from what is happening
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Uh, and this is going to backfire and this is going to have political repercussions.
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It's going to change the political landscape, whether anyone likes it or not.
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Um, I tweeted this and, uh, several mainstream media journalists pounced on me and said, ah,
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Uh, and, uh, and, and, and, and, and it just got bigger.
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Um, and, and, uh, and, and, and, and here we are.
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And within a couple of days of the protest, uh, Erin O'Toole had to resign.
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Um, and, uh, and now we have a leadership race.
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So it, it, it, it, and, and, and, and it's, and it's, um, and it's, um, and it's happening.
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You, you've had already two liberal, uh, MPs from Quebec who've, uh, who've spoken out against
00:24:12.640
And I think, I think it's just going to, uh, keep getting bigger in my opinion.
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I think that, that anyone who's sort of dismissed this as just another sort of PPC rally.
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I mean, we've been having, uh, freedom rallies throughout the entire, uh, throughout the entire
00:24:28.900
We've seen, we saw lots and lots of rallies during the federal election, but what was happening
00:24:34.940
during this convoy just felt different right from the beginning when you saw Canadians go
00:24:39.500
out on overpasses and you would just see those images of overpass after overpass after overpass.
00:24:45.900
And they started to realize that, you know, when, when the kids were handing out cookies
00:24:49.240
with handwritten notes and you, you had all the kids calling in and thanking the truckers.
00:24:53.060
Like, I mean, the story went around the world and it, I think it inspired people all over
00:24:58.140
the world to say, look, here you have mild mannered law abiding Canadians standing up and
00:25:05.520
When, when, when the Canadians are the ones that are, you know, willing to go to these
0.99
00:25:10.940
extreme lengths, um, you, you can tell that they're at their breaking point.
00:25:14.500
And I think that public opinion has sort of shift.
00:25:17.180
I mean, I can point to half a dozen public policy changes that have happened just since
00:25:22.920
I mean, you mentioned that we had, uh, uh, the leader of the conservative party replaced.
00:25:27.420
That is a direct result of the convoy, um, and, and his inability to address it in a meaningful
00:25:32.520
way and respect the truckers enough to meet with them.
00:25:34.540
Uh, we had two liberals come out against their own prime minister.
00:25:38.340
I don't think it's happened Rupa since Justin Trudeau was elected, um, aside from the members
00:25:43.180
that he ejected, um, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Phil, uh, Jane Philpott, but, but sitting members
00:25:47.780
of caucus from Quebec, those are his allies, um, speaking out against him.
00:25:54.940
Saskatchewan dropped their vaccine mandate program.
00:25:56.760
Manitoba announced that they are, um, loosening restrictions.
00:26:00.520
Restrictions will be eased in Prince Edward Island starting on February 19th.
00:26:05.040
Uh, Quebec planned to lift its pandemic restrictions in mid-March.
00:26:08.720
They also eliminated, um, the plan that they had to have an additional tax levy on, um, people
00:26:16.240
So we're starting to see this, this tide of public opinion change.
00:26:20.940
There's been a couple of major studies that have come out.
00:26:23.220
One from Johns Hopkins showing the lockdowns didn't really work.
00:26:25.560
Uh, we've also seen a lot of public opinion polling.
00:26:29.020
There was a Leger poll that found that 44% of Canadians sympathize with the frustrations
00:26:36.220
We also saw an abacus poll that found really, really remarkably, the overwhelming majority
00:26:41.600
of Canadians think that Justin Trudeau has handled this situation either poorly or very
00:26:46.780
Um, and interestingly, I don't know if you saw this, but, uh, Joe Biden's press secretary,
00:26:51.540
Jen Psaki was asked about the truckers and, and she said that she respected them and that
00:26:59.040
And she was, she was quite positive about them.
00:27:01.320
Almost like, uh, it's just such a stark difference with Trudeau.
00:27:04.500
And I think, I think that, that she, she sees the potential of this trucker convoy to come
00:27:09.560
to the U S and wreak havoc and the American Democrats rely a lot more on working class
0.95
00:27:18.640
And I think that, I think that more and more people see the truckers as sort of a mantle
00:27:24.220
for freedom and, and they're starting to side with them more than, more than Trudeau.
00:27:33.800
Um, and, and how can he sort of salvage a situation that seems like he's, he's in a
00:27:39.580
Um, yeah, um, he's got to, uh, you know, um, he has to meet them.
00:27:46.660
He has to try to diffuse the situation, um, because this can't go on indefinitely.
00:27:51.880
Um, um, and, um, and that should have happened last week, as I mentioned earlier.
00:27:57.200
Um, but instead, uh, as recently as a couple of days ago, um, he doubled down on the
00:28:04.580
Uh, he once again mentioned the swastikas and the Confederate flags, which, you know,
00:28:09.240
as I mentioned, they, they, you know, they, they, I'm sure they were there.
00:28:14.320
Uh, well, I haven't seen them, but they haven't returned since.
00:28:17.720
I don't, I don't think that you can say swastikas because from best I can tell there's one guy
00:28:22.460
And I think that maybe there was someone else who drew one on a sign, but it wasn't like
00:28:25.820
that, that, that it wasn't like that was what you could classify the entire protest.
00:28:32.620
It's like, how can you see thousands of Canadian flags, one Nazi flag, and assume that everyone
00:28:41.780
And, um, I, you know, I was struck by that as well.
00:28:44.380
And, um, you know, it's unfortunate that that's how it ended up being portrayed, but, but Prime
00:28:49.160
Minister Trudeau really needs to speak to them.
00:28:53.940
What is extraordinary about this is that these people are being called occupying forces, rebel
00:28:59.120
forces, I've seen journalists referring, refer to them that way as though, you know, I don't
00:29:05.900
know what occupying force or rebel force would be interested in having a dialogue, but that's
00:29:11.780
You know, we want to speak to the prime minister, let him, why, why doesn't he hear us?
00:29:16.180
Uh, you know, why, why does he continue to pour scorn on us?
00:29:19.760
Um, so, and here's, here's one thing, Candace, and I wrote this recently for the national
00:29:24.640
post, um, uh, that, you know, there is room for compromise.
00:29:28.180
So we have, Prime Minister Trudeau, um, if you've noticed has doubled down on the vaccines
00:29:33.240
or nothing, um, um, um, and has doubled on down on vaccines or nothing.
00:29:42.980
We, uh, in this country, we do not recognize recovery from, uh, COVID, um, uh, Germany does.
0.78
00:29:50.220
Um, um, um, I think Switzerland does a lot of Europe, Denmark does a lot of European countries
00:29:58.180
Uh, but we've taken an extraordinary position here that, uh, vaccines are the only thing that
00:30:04.280
is going to get out of our, uh, get us out of the pandemic, uh, given the fact that most
00:30:14.140
And, um, and, and, uh, you know, and, and, but it's, it's, you know, so I'm not, you know,
00:30:25.140
I think it does prevent you from, uh, it, it, it, uh, you know, it, uh, prevents you from,
00:30:33.560
Um, but, uh, but, but we've taken a very, um, um, um, you know, extreme position here
00:30:40.040
that if you are not vaccinated, you're not going to get out of the pandemic, uh, given
00:30:44.460
the fact that we're, you know, a country that is, that has had one of, has one of the highest
00:30:51.260
Um, so, and what is also happening here is that Canada is increasingly an outlier, uh, among,
00:30:58.320
uh, developed, uh, Western countries, uh, where, where, where they're, uh, seeing the end game
00:31:04.800
of the pandemic, uh, they're, uh, they're getting, uh, so yesterday, New York, um, got rid of, uh,
00:31:11.280
indoor mask use, um, uh, uh, Europe is getting rid of, uh, some European countries, um, are, uh, you know,
00:31:20.620
are dismantling the vaccine passport system like Switzerland, um, and, and, uh, and what is
00:31:26.040
extraordinary here is that we're doubling down on these things, um, and we're not recognizing,
00:31:31.060
um, a recovery from infection, which is, which I think is an important step to take.
00:31:36.700
Uh, I think it would be something that should come from our public health officials.
00:31:43.060
Several of the people that I've met at the protests, uh, have had COVID.
00:31:47.060
Um, I, I don't know if you're aware of a recent, uh, CDC study that came out, uh, saying that people
00:31:52.460
who've recovered from COVID have very high antibodies, um, uh, even higher than those of us who've been
00:32:01.040
Why is it that we don't recognize, uh, natural immunity, which is as old as time itself?
00:32:05.860
Um, it's extraordinary that we put all, uh, we've put everything on vaccines, but we've
00:32:17.920
Um, yesterday I, I saw a news report, uh, that, uh, that, you know, uh, if you live in
00:32:23.660
Ontario, you can now finally get these rapid tests by walking into a pharmacy or a grocery
00:32:29.640
store, you know, the rest of the world, including India, where I originally come from,
00:32:45.000
Why are we so, uh, you know, behind on something as basic as rapid tests?
00:32:50.480
Uh, because rapid tests was something that could have been a lot more useful during the
00:32:55.620
I'm not even sure that it accurately will let you know whether you have Omicron or not.
00:33:00.260
I've heard really competing stories in my own family.
00:33:02.680
Uh, we had to test my son like five times, even though we knew that he had COVID, we
00:33:05.980
knew that he'd be exposed to a swim coach and he was showing the symptoms and he kept
00:33:12.100
And we finally took him in for a PCR and it was positive.
00:33:14.740
I don't even know why we bothered because it was just, I guess, peace of mind to confirm
00:33:18.760
But, uh, I've had, I've had just, even in my own household, so many weird instances where
00:33:23.660
someone's positive one day and negative the next day.
00:33:26.060
It's like, I'm not sure how, how accurate those are, but I get, I get your point that
00:33:30.140
Canada just seems to be really dead set on vaccines and not looking at even, even sort
00:33:37.740
I took issue with a Trudeau, um, for her, his former health minister.
00:33:42.220
I actually, I'm not sure she's still the health minister, Patty Haju, but she said that she
00:33:45.540
didn't recommend people take vitamin D supplements, uh, which is, is really, really puzzling.
00:33:50.800
Um, given what we know about the, uh, number of people who have COVID who also have vitamin
00:33:56.580
D deficiencies and there have been lots of studies.
00:33:58.920
And so the fact that she's telling people not to take vitamin D supplements is just curious
00:34:03.840
because it's like, why, why wouldn't you tell people to do everything they can to be
00:34:07.120
healthy, go outside and get exercise, get some fresh air, make sure you eat a healthy
00:34:12.600
We live in the North and we don't get a lot of sun during the winter.
00:34:14.580
Like it just seems like some of those basic messages have never been communicated to the
00:34:19.980
In fact, what is striking, um, is that, and I have doctors in my family and they say, you
00:34:25.640
know, what is missing from the messaging here from our public health officials is that, uh,
00:34:31.420
they don't, nobody even talks about, uh, trying to be healthy, trying to stay fit, trying to,
00:34:36.680
you know, so you close gyms, uh, which is extraordinary when, you know, that could actually help you,
00:34:42.320
uh, you know, uh, give you the tools to fight COVID if you were to get it.
00:34:46.540
Um, so we, we've, we've had it completely backwards.
00:34:50.300
For example, gyms in the UK were open during Omicron.
00:34:55.140
Uh, we, we, we just, we just, we, the first sign of trouble here, we, we shut everything
00:34:59.920
down like the Rideau center, which is, which has been closed indefinitely, but the businesses
00:35:06.700
Um, so, you know, I think, I think it's, it's important that our, our political class, our
00:35:12.720
political elites, uh, uh, uh, principally, uh, Prime Minister Trudeau, uh, they need to
00:35:18.140
really think long and hard, uh, about what is happening in the country right now, um, and,
00:35:24.020
and, and, and, and listen to, you know, and pay attention to the frustrations of these
00:35:29.040
They are, you're, they're, you're the prime minister of all Canadians, not just those who voted
00:35:34.340
for you, um, and these frustrations are real, uh, uh, and, and, and the, and some of the
00:35:41.520
stories are heartbreaking, um, and, and he really needs to, uh, diffuse the situation,
00:35:47.640
um, uh, go and speak to the convoy organizers, uh, hear them out, uh, chart out a plan, um,
00:35:55.480
you know, what is, what is, what is happening right now is that we, um, don't seem to have
00:36:02.000
Um, yesterday, the health minister, uh, in Ontario, uh, refused to tell us when, when
00:36:08.580
we're going to get out of this, um, you know, this roadmap is all well and good, but, you
00:36:13.240
know, it doesn't really get us back to 2019, does it, uh, when the rest of the world is
00:36:17.820
moving in that, uh, direction, um, so, you know, it raises questions, why, uh, what, what
00:36:31.720
And Trudeau said yesterday that nine out of 10 Canadians are now vaccinated.
00:36:35.240
So, uh, vaccines are, are way out of the pandemic.
00:36:42.520
Uh, and, uh, but, you know, I'll also tell you, uh, Candace, that, um, uh, what I've also
00:36:48.300
now seen is that, um, you know, I'm, it's, it's not, it's, it's in, I've been noticing
00:36:53.660
This is even before the, uh, protesters and the convoy arrived in Ottawa, uh, people who
00:37:02.540
They're, they're walking around with masks outdoors.
00:37:06.820
I, I never, I never thought that I would see that.
00:37:12.480
I mean, as long as the mask mandate isn't in place, I'm going to wear a mask wherever,
00:37:16.320
wherever I go, but I certainly will not wear a mask when I'm outdoors because that just,
00:37:22.260
Being outdoors is what they've been telling us being outdoors is better than being indoors.
00:37:26.400
Well, we've known that since the very beginning of the pandemic that, uh, that COVID doesn't
00:37:31.380
I'm not sure about Omicron, but, and we saw that with our own prime minister, he's triple
00:37:35.260
He just recovered from COVID and he's standing outside wearing a mask.
00:37:39.220
It's like, how are we supposed to believe that, that vaccines get us out of the pandemic
00:37:44.120
when you've had COVID, you had, you're vaccinated, you still had COVID like so many other Canadians.
0.82
00:37:48.560
I know so many Canadians that are double, triple vaxxed, still got COVID, including everyone
00:37:53.520
And, and yet here you are still wearing a mask, still imposing all of these things.
00:37:58.040
So it's, it's really hard to believe him when he doesn't even live up to what he's
00:38:03.420
His, his rhetoric doesn't match his own actions.
00:38:07.680
When you see the prime minister of the country at a press conference outside and there's really
00:38:12.280
no one else around, you know, there's a lot of distance between him and whoever is there.
00:38:19.220
He's triple vaccinated and recovered from COVID that people, people see that.
00:38:24.780
And the, and the triple vaccinated, I find are more fearful than the unvaccinated, which
1.00
00:38:31.920
And you see that here, you, you can spot the triple vaccinated or the double vaccinated and
00:38:37.940
the ones who are unvaccinated, the unvaccinated who are dancing and smiling and hugging everybody.
00:38:43.920
It's the double, triple vaccinated who are walking around in masks, looking grumpy, their
1.00
00:38:48.900
shoulders, you know, stooped and, you know, they're slouching and you can see them, you
00:38:57.480
And, you know, so it tells me, it tells me that this, this, this, I don't know how big
00:39:06.900
It tells me that I, some people are just not ready to say goodbye to the pandemic.
00:39:11.560
Now, how much of that is reflected in the decisions that our politicians are making?
00:39:16.980
I don't know, because at the end of the day, they're also humans.
00:39:20.460
They're also, you know, they're also susceptible to the fear and, and concerns about going back
00:39:34.060
And, and, and so, you know, I think, I think going back to your question, I do think that
00:39:38.280
Prime Minister Trudeau, it's time for him to speak to them.
00:39:41.300
This is not a good look for the country, Candace.
00:39:43.680
I'm getting messages from people all over the world saying, you know, what is going on?
00:39:49.280
I mean, he's, you know, why doesn't he talk to them?
00:39:51.840
Why doesn't he, why doesn't he, why doesn't he speak to them?
00:39:57.940
And, and, and, you know, and you mentioned Joe Biden's press secretary.
00:40:01.800
I think, you know, I think there's another element to this.
00:40:07.300
And I think they're, and they're, and they're taking notes.
00:40:10.660
And, and, and they, and they're saying, look, I don't think it's a good idea for us to double
00:40:15.420
down the way Justin Trudeau has, because, you know, we're going to see mass protest movements
00:40:21.840
And, and that's not something we want to deal with right now.
00:40:27.620
And I think that's, you know, probably because of the truckers.
00:40:35.620
I don't know what, what, what, what the thinking here is.
00:40:41.780
You know, how this is advantageous for Trudeau politically.
00:40:46.640
I remember early on in the protest, several people were saying, oh, this is, you know,
00:40:52.100
Trudeau is going to get, win a majority in the next election.
00:40:55.140
This is a done deal because these, these people have managed to do that.
00:41:02.100
I think, I think public opinion, the, the narrative is changing.
00:41:08.300
Um, uh, and, uh, and I, and even people who are skeptical, uh, questioning about the, questioning
00:41:16.220
the protests, you know, are tired of the restrictions.
00:41:25.840
And ironically, that is what the truckers and the protesters want.
00:41:31.420
Well, it's so, uh, interesting to hear your perspective, Rupa.
00:41:34.520
And I really appreciate, um, not just coming on the show, cause it's great to talk to you,
00:41:37.980
but I appreciate the fact that you go out there, you go against the grain.
00:41:41.280
You don't just do what everyone else in the legacy media does.
00:41:44.100
And you really sought, um, to tell the other side of the story.
00:41:46.920
So it's great to, great to have you on the show.
00:41:57.800
I'm Candice Malcolm, and this is the Candice Malcolm show.