I’ve Had An Achy Breaky Heart – I Just Didn’t Know It

Oh Canada – our true North strong and …. What’s going on in this big, cold country of ours? I think we’ve all been sadder, then we we were aware. Now a convoy of truckers beginning on the west coast and growing through each province is headed to our nations capital to peacefully protest restrictive mandates. Why has this Canadian trucker’s convoy at this time in these long, long months brought out thousands of families waving the maple leaf flag in twenty-seven below weather? What is this that folks as diverse as comedian and actor Russel Brand, entrepreneur and business magnate Elon Musk, and country singer Paul Brandt are all supporting the trucker’s convoy? Why in frigid snowy weather as the sun rises and sets have Canadians lined the streets to cheer, wave our flag, and offer to feed the men and women from across the nation in a truck convoy that is by some accounts 53 km (40 miles) long? Hutterites, Mennonite’s, Indigenous, Black and Sikh citizens have given their approval. Huge convoys are coming up from all over the United States and support is being heralded from around the world.

What I see now – what I wish everyone could see, but our mainstream media is still doing ‘coverage lite’ , is great throngs of citizens lining the highways, offering truckloads of meals, offering parking spaces, mechanical help, even dental services for truckers with tooth aches – and a chiropractic from Maine is trying to come up and fix trucker’s sore backs. I’ve followed several Convoy Facebook groups – one which grew to 600,000 members before it was taken down. (Why?) There are videos with energetic country tunes, big rigs, small trucks, and on overpasses and in snow banks families of every description packing boxed lunches to feed their new heroes while their kids bundled in snowsuits, hold up the signs they’ve drawn. Truckers are making videos of thanks wearing their sunglasses, as more than one has said – to hide their tears of emotion. Citizens who felt they’d been left alone with their troubles are saying they can’t stop their tears of joy. A Quebec sovereigntist reported feeling ‘Canadian’ for the first time.

Communities supplying meals to truckers who supply us.

Clearly this is not about vaxed or unvaxed. By the numbers alone we know that. There was a time in the beginning of this pandemic where folks were belittled for daring to talk about our Charter rights, liberty and freedom – we believed in flattening the curve. But with that came QR codes – and young hostesses across the land forced into the uncomfortable position of policing segregation and requests for proof of ID to allow patrons to drink a coffee indoors. Businesses small and large have suffered immeasurable losses due to forced lock downs and restrictions. Life’s celebrations – weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, graduations, retirements have been halted. Our elderly have been kept away from those they needed most. My siblings and I allowed our own dad to be isolated from us for nine weeks of his final year before we came to our senses and took action to bring him into our embrace again.

We’ve all masked, we’ve distanced. We’ve suffered horrible hurtful loss of our loved ones to COVID, and along with it our mental health has been strained beyond tolerance. Suicides and drug overdoses have increased. The authorities wanted 80 per cent vaccination rate. They got it, but continued to demonize those who for whatever reason just couldn’t use or abide this vaccine. Omicron is spreading among the vaccinated and the boosted and the vax passes if meant to keep away the potentially sick, don’t make sense and should have been revoked.

Photo from Facebook group

This outpouring of support for the trucker’s convoy might only be a response to too much over-reaching government control. People long to feel connected and united in their delight. Citizens around the world are sending messages of support for our truckers whose mandate is one of peaceful, calm protest. Yet our leaders and news sources find the few crazy’s in the thousands to try to in-still more fear in fear-weary citizens. Global news (shame on them) shows footage of the US troubles last Jan 6th and compares this to that. And yes, in groups of this magnitude there will be trouble makers and extremists to be dealt with, but truckers are reporting police forces and RCMP are helpful and for the most part supportive, directing traffic and guiding them on their way. Media has repeatedly questioned the GoFundMe (currently above six million dollars) which is intended to cover fuel of the registered truckers, with any remainder going to our veterans. Our Prime Minister, instead of offering to listen and talk, called the convoy a minority fringe of people with unacceptable views. What? As in he, the leader, will not accept them?

Hutterite women show happy encouragement in Saskatchewan and others line the highway greeting truckers.

I believe Canadians want to feel free from government control again. They want to feel trusted to take precautions but not be dictated to. To be given their livelihoods back along with their feelings about bodily autonomy, no matter their choices. To feel cared for by their communities, to be heard and feel the joy of togetherness. I know they are thanking this group who are saying end the restrictive mandates, let good people work again. And what is the symbol of this protest? It appears it is our Canadian flag.

14 thoughts on “I’ve Had An Achy Breaky Heart – I Just Didn’t Know It”

  1. Just. Laying to rest today a treasured friend, not from or with Covid of any sort. A long lasting life of hard work, family, and family support. A life that represented the very fringe minority, the supply chain representatives fighting for the very rights and freedoms of this province and this land, and is now a part of our legacy- a true Canadian. Yes, we must repeat over and over again, it is in God we trust. Through His grace and mercy we will come through this together.
    Our prayer is strong.
    Will our leaders listen and respond?
    Government is of the people, by the people and for the people. It is time🙏

    Liked by 1 person

  2. It was a sad day today. I took down the Canadian flag that’s been proudly flying on my house since our nation hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. I can no longer abide watching protestors wave our country’s flag and claim it stands for their freedom while their actions are restricting so many other Canadians from their basic rights and freedoms. Ottawa hospital staff are struggling to get past the protest to get to work and save lives, expectant moms are unable to get to birthing centres, neighbouring homes are no longer safe havens for occupants and drivers and commuters are being blocked from their right to freely move about within their own city. Out west our citizens are being denied their right to travel across the Alberta Montana border. Canadians are not feeling the ‘love’ these ‘freedom lovers’ profess.
    Removing my flag today was a hard thing to do but I felt it was necessary so as not to be mistaken as supporting a cause that has gone so far off the rails. Who could have imagined that our country’s national symbol would be hijacked and smeared in this way by extremists?
    As for me, my flag will go back up when this occupation ends and innocent Canadians are no longer being held hostage.
    And out of respect I’ll hang it right-side up.

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    • With respect for your feelings – across this land Canadians were ‘inconvenienced’ right out of their livelihoods, their education, their rights to travel around their own country by these mandates that are currently being dropped around the world. Our governments need to listen to the people who are proud, peaceful Canadians instead of dismissing them and grouping them with a very few ugly people. I say put your flag back up with pride that actions are being taken for all of our freedoms and insist the man we elected to run our nation meet with their representatives and begin discussions toward a resolution.

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  3. Thank you for your lovely articulation of what’s happening in our country right now. With beautiful joy everywhere and wonderful new friendships are brewing. We’re seeing real leader ship and immense courage.
    I hope that soon all those people that are wearing masks will start to understand that we were all wearing masks for them for the last two years, and have a turning around in our hearts for what’s going on with their country.

    dumbfounded how others don’t see how beautiful this is.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Thank you for your lovely articulation of what’s happening in our country right now. With beautiful joy everywhere and wonderful new friendships are brewing. We’re seeing real leader ship and immense courage.
    I hope that soon all those people that are wearing masks will start to understand that we were all wearing masks for them for the last two years, and have a turning around in our hearts for what’s going on with their country.

    dumbfounded how others don’t see how beautiful this is.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. This so great, I am so proud to be Canadian, to see Canadians come together..This fills my heart with happiness..Thank you for spreading the Truth…We as Canadians want our freedom..

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  6. Thanks this blog was very reassuring that sanity is prevailing . We are living through a very difficult and exasperating time. Every ray of hope is so welcome.

    Liked by 1 person

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