# Canadian 'dopers, Freedom Convoy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 10, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186 "2022-02-10T00:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/261 "2022-02-15T16:15:13Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > I also know for a fact that the organizers are far-right white supremacists. [The GoFundMe page was set up by someone](https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/trucker-convoys-4-million-fundraising-142322714.html) with ties to [Wexit,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maverick_Party) which was founded by [wingnuts, at least one of whom spouts supremacist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.](https://www.vice.com/en/article/59na9q/wexit-founders-are-far-right-conspiracy-theorists) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/262 "2022-02-15T16:24:48Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Detractors latched onto that as being “Marxist” even though the concept predates Marxism and Marx himself. So, their “detractors” calling them Marxist…means they are Marxist. Say hello to the Thing and the Human Torch when you get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/263 "2022-02-15T16:28:51Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > So, their “detractors” calling them Marxist…means they are Marxist. They are Marxist in the eyes of their detractors and I’m not a detractor. 🙂 I’ve personally seen someone using that – now non-existent – mission statement as an excuse to call them “Marxist”. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/264 "2022-02-15T16:33:05Z")
“Now he comes off the diving board into a triple-twist…and…oh, he missed the pool entirely and that _will_ affect his score!” ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/265 "2022-02-15T16:50:12Z")
[Sloly is gone](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sloly-ottawa-resigns-behaviour-leadership-1.6352295). Good riddance you do-nothing ditherer. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/266 "2022-02-15T16:54:32Z")
That happened quickly. I never meant to suggest the hodgepodge of groups were mutually exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/267 "2022-02-15T16:55:34Z")
[Pacific Highway border crossing in BC cleared; arrests made](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/arrests-as-rcmp-clear-protest-near-pacific-highway-border-crossing) [Blockade at Coutts Alberta border crossing winding down](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trucker-blockade-at-coutts-alta-border-crossing-winds-down/) [Ambassador Bridge blockade in Windsor over Trucks move on](https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/trucks-roll-as-ambassador-bridge-blockade-finally-over) Interestingly, I understand that one of the main powers of the Emergency Act that was invoked is financial. Anyone involved in illegal blockades can have their business and personal accounts frozen. More powers are given to police to investigate money laundering. The government has explicitly said that vehicle insurance policies may be cancelled and vehicles seized. It seems that stopping the money train is the thing that hit these “protesters” the hardest. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/268 "2022-02-15T17:02:38Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > mandates are starting to go away anyway, as cases drop. It’s like going into a bar 10 minutes before closing time, and demanding they stop serving alcohol. But then you get to go declare victory loudly in public. I have the uneasy feeling that, on some level, the timing may have been deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/269 "2022-02-15T17:05:05Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > But these guys don’t even understand that much. I’ve heard things online where someone was trying to explain it to them, and it was like watching a dog try to figure out why its bowl is empty. Canadian or American, they’re like a depressing number of people who have the concept of “gummint” – like “commie” or “librul” – as merely something big and malevolent that they don’t like. The details are a bit hazy. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/270 "2022-02-15T17:17:28Z")
A guy in Alberta who was helping the armed men block the border was quoted as saying that Canada is turning into a communist country. He has no idea whatsoever what the word even means. These people are largely illiterate morons who are being manipulated by opportunists and grifters. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/271 "2022-02-15T17:43:37Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I have the uneasy feeling that, on some level, the timing may have been deliberate. Without a doubt. A big part of this is that it’s being used as a recruiting tool. There’s a reason so many videos are out that make it all look like a great party of freedom fighters. They’re trying to spin a narrative of being good guys pushed to the brink by Evil Government. If they’d waited a month, most of the mandates would have been gone before they were able to do anything. If they’d done it six months ago, they’d have looked entirely impotent as the government just ignored their demands for six months. They had to find the sweet spot that would make them look successful. Why else plan a camp out in Ottawa in the winter? No one with half a brain would have chosen this timing voluntarily. They had to do it now, though, because their window of opportunity was closing. ---
**Author:** ![Latimera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/latimera/32/497_2.png) [@Latimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latimera)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/272 "2022-02-15T17:49:44Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > These people are largely illiterate morons who are being manipulated by opportunists and grifters. Without a doubt… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/273 "2022-02-15T17:53:17Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Why else plan a camp out in Ottawa in the winter? No one with half a brain would have chosen this timing voluntarily. They had to do it now, though, because their window of opportunity was closing. I wish that some of the provincial premiers would announce that they WERE going to eliminate/reduce covid restrictions this week, but due to the gatherings of morons, that these will have to stay in place a little longer. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/274 "2022-02-15T18:39:41Z")
Illiterate and incredibly ignorant and devoid of any logical and critical thought. And it is difficult to determine if they are really ignorant, illogical, stupid, or a combination of those traits; or, it’s really difficult to comprehend how they don’t see that their supposed rights and freedoms (of a few thousand protesters) is oppressing the rights of tens of thousands of immediate neighbours and thousands of local business-people, over the last three weeks. And I love the sob stories about how the mandates made some of them lose their jobs; no, their stupid refusal to get a vaccination (30 or 40 minutes of dicking around in an arena or something followed by maybe a sore arm for a day (_maybe_)) caused them to lose their job vs a month of thuggery, inactivity and displays of their own stupidity and ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/275 "2022-02-15T18:56:15Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > And I love the sob stories about how the mandates made some of them lose their jobs; no, their stupid refusal to get a vaccination (30 or 40 minutes of dicking around in an arena or something followed by maybe a sore arm for a day ( _maybe_ )) caused them to lose their job vs a month of thuggery, inactivity and displays of their own stupidity and ignorance. I saw a video of one of them sitting around their campfire, lecturing the others about the “reality” of the vaccines, and it was just every stupid CT about them you can imagine. Like, “It reprograms your DNA so you’re no longer human, and now Pfizer owns you” level crap. They’ve completely fucked up their own lives because they can’t see past the piles of BS they’ve buried themselves in. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/276 "2022-02-15T19:08:29Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > They’ve completely fucked up their own lives because they can’t see past the piles of BS they’ve buried themselves in. And meanwhile we are supposed to be compassionate and understanding of their victim-hood (eg Candice Bergen grilling the liberal party on not extending an olive branch ffs) even though, after two years they refuse to listen and have been major contributors to this thing lasting two years. As yet another example of the stupidity, this time at the Ambassador Bridge, there was a woman going on about how “if they’re not uncomfortable then we won’t get the change we want (or words to that effect)”. The reporter should have asked exactly 1. what “changes” are required; and 2. how many Canadian citizens actually want those changes. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/277 "2022-02-15T19:22:10Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > And meanwhile we are supposed to be compassionate and understanding of their victim-hood Yes, like Trudeau was supposed to pop over and have a nice chat with western separatist leaders who were calling for his resignation and prosecution. Or chat with people who think that he has control over provincial health regulations because he’s a communist dictator. Or he’s supposed to extend an olive branch to a mentally ill woman who has called for the execution of medical professionals giving vaccines. Sure. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/278 "2022-02-15T19:26:08Z")
Why didn’t the government just sit down and have a reasonable discussion with people who believe that the vaccine makes you magnetic and is just an excuse for Big Pharma to implant microchips into you so they can control your brain? I mean, they sound like they might have some good points to offer the elected government. Or the government should have just gone to Alberta and had a good sit-down meeting with the 12 guys with rifles, handguns, high capacity magazines and body armor. They sound like folks who are interested in opening up constructive dialogue! I think we can all clearly see that this is all Trudeau’s fault here. Just ask Pierre Pollievre. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/279 "2022-02-15T19:33:36Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > When this is all over, the police and city government are going to be in some serious trouble. Even the Ontario Provincial Police aren’t looking too good here. I could see a lot of people supporting hiring the RCMP to take over Ottawa policing for a decade or so, long enough to make it hard for existing Ottawa cops to sit out a layoff and be re-hired. We need to rebuild the Ottawa police from the ground up. [And the Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly is out.](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-police-chief-peter-sloly-resigns-amid-criticism-of-how-vaccine/) ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186/280 "2022-02-15T19:35:10Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > this is all Trudeau’s fault here Well don’t forget as well that he’s the one who politicized the whole thing to begin with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-freedom-convoy/959186.md?page=15)