–Many of you, no doubt will disagree with me in what follows.  You are welcome here.  Let us do again what Canadians once did best: carefully, thoughtfully, at times heatedly discuss important issues while remaining united.

Like the rest of Canada, I watched countless hours of the inquiry into the use of the Emergency Act, and still, the COVID saga continues.  I just finished Tamara Lich’s Book Hold the Line.  If you have forgotten, or never knew, Ms. Lich is the key leader of Freedom Convoy.  Not the “so called Freedom Convoy” that corporate media like to refer to the movement as.  She and Chris Barber, another leader of the Convoy now stand trial for the charge of mischief, and inciting others to mischief.

This kind of mischief is not the dictionary definition which reads “playful mis-behaviour or troublemaking especially in children.”  Although the three weeks in the Ottawa capital saw the protesters engaging in a great deal of playful, joyful, inclusive and communal activity.  Mischief under the criminal code is written as follows:

section 430 (1) Everyone commits mischief who wilfully. (a) destroys or damages property; (b) renders property dangerous, useless, inoperative or ineffective; (c) obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property…

For this false charge, Tamara Lich was arrested, stripped outside a police station in sub zero temperature and put in jail twice for a total of 49 days, some of which she spent in solitary. Non consenting solitary confinement is now considered torture by most mental health professionals.

Before you say to yourself, “good she deserved the police to take off her winter jacket steps away from the warmth of the inside of a police station and search her in the cold and dark” please, Canadian, read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Before you say to yourself, “Oh good, this genuine Metis grandmother deserved to be thrown into a cell freezing, wet, exhausted “with a cement slab for a bed…that sucked the little warmth [she] had left in [her] body…” and refused even a blanket: please, my fellow Canadian, take a moment to reflect.

Sometimes, when emotions run high and horns are disturbingly loud, making it difficult to think, sleep and be, we can forget that Canada is a democracy where even cold-blooded killers are afforded certain dignities and rights under our laws.  It is easy to forget that in Canada we are innocent until proven guilty, especially when main stream media is paid for by its government to forget the role of journalism.  CTV, CBC and Global characterize this legitimate peaceful protest as

1. Foreign Funded (Which in part it was. However, there was no desire to focus on the Canadians who donated the bulk of the funds. Ironically CBC complained that those who claimed they retracted their ‘foreign fund story’ never contacted them to get the real story. Talk about a kettle/pot problem),
2. Swastika flag waving (One flag not a part of the protest: against millions of Canadian flags),
3. Designed as an Insurrection (Not one move was made to overthrow the government by the Freedom Convoy, who made countless attempts to engage in dialogue that was met with a Prime Minister who fled the nation’s capitol),
4. Fringe (how 6 million vocal Canadians and how many more silent can be called fringe is the result of What Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University calls “illusion of consent”)
5. Unacceptable movement. (Unacceptable to whom)?
6. Dangerous (The Freedom Convoy Participants not only cleaned downtown Ottawa, fed the homeless, frequented businesses, they were continually dancing, drumming, hugging.  The Freedom Convoy cooperated with the police unil the last days when they attempted to stand their ground while kneeling, unarmed holding the charter in their hands before a brutal display of force).

Although Canadian corporate media refused to understand and capture the essence of the protest with its grass roots emergence and the learning curve that comes with it, much of the wider world saw it as a free and fabulous demonstration of Canada’s Citizens exercising their constitutional right to a peaceful protest.

Peaceful, until Trudeau’s army of force stepped in with intent to do violence should Canadians refuse to back down from their lawful, albeit highly disruptive presence.  The Emergency Act police crushed the process. Independent news sources captured the violence: pepper spray, horses, batons and body slams, kicking and punching to many, including veteran’s calling out as they were brutally taken to the ground. One veteran pleaded “I’m not resisting, I’m peaceful” yet his fellow Canadian in uniform slammed him to the ground. He asked for a different position because of wounds incurred during battle for your freedom and mine. He was denied.

What took place in Ottawa was an amazing moment of the people peacefully speaking truth to power.

The 16 – day trial of these two freedom leaders is an opportunity for the media, government, and judiciary of Canada to redeem these institutions.  In the service of protecting a just, free and democratic society, the court shall find both individuals innocent of all charges.  The media shall honestly explain why, and the government shall soon change hands as the people of Canada elect officials who will never again allow this political prisoner incident to ever darken our way again.

Join me as Conversation Café continues this discussion. Please contact me using the ‘Contact Page.’ I welcome your engagement.  If you wish your response to be posted, we will determine that together.

–Many of you, no doubt will disagree with me in what follows.  You are welcome here.  Let us do again what Canadians once did best: carefully, thoughtfully, at times heatedly discuss important issues while remaining united.

Like the rest of Canada, I watched countless hours of the inquiry into the use of the Emergency Act, and still, the COVID saga continues.  I just finished Tamara Lich’s Book Hold the Line.  If you have forgotten, or never knew, Ms. Lich is the key leader of Freedom Convoy.  Not the “so called Freedom Convoy” that corporate media like to refer to the movement as.  She and Chris Barber, another leader of the Convoy now stand trial for the charge of mischief, and inciting others to mischief.

This kind of mischief is not the dictionary definition which reads “playful mis-behaviour or troublemaking especially in children.”  Although the three weeks in the Ottawa capital saw the protesters engaging in a great deal of playful, joyful, inclusive and communal activity.  Mischief under the criminal code is written as follows:

section 430 (1) Everyone commits mischief who wilfully. (a) destroys or damages property; (b) renders property dangerous, useless, inoperative or ineffective; (c) obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property…

For this false charge, Tamara Lich was arrested, stripped outside a police station in sub zero temperature and put in jail twice for a total of 49 days, some of which she spent in solitary. Non consenting solitary confinement is now considered torture by most mental health professionals.

Before you say to yourself, “good she deserved the police to take off her winter jacket steps away from the warmth of the inside of a police station and search her in the cold and dark” please, Canadian, read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Before you say to yourself, “Oh good, this genuine Metis grandmother deserved to be thrown into a cell freezing, wet, exhausted “with a cement slab for a bed…that sucked the little warmth [she] had left in [her] body…” and refused even a blanket: please, my fellow Canadian, take a moment to reflect.

Sometimes, when emotions run high and horns are disturbingly loud, making it difficult to think, sleep and be, we can forget that Canada is a democracy where even cold-blooded killers are afforded certain dignities and rights under our laws.  It is easy to forget that in Canada we are innocent until proven guilty, especially when main stream media is paid for by its government to forget the role of journalism.  CTV, CBC and Global characterize this legitimate peaceful protest as

1. Foreign Funded (Which in part it was. However, there was no desire to focus on the Canadians who donated the bulk of the funds. Ironically CBC complained that those who claimed they retracted their ‘foreign fund story’ never contacted them to get the real story. Talk about a kettle/pot problem),
2. Swastika flag waving (One flag not a part of the protest: against millions of Canadian flags),
3. Designed as an Insurrection (Not one move was made to overthrow the government by the Freedom Convoy, who made countless attempts to engage in dialogue that was met with a Prime Minister who fled the nation’s capitol),
4. Fringe (how 6 million vocal Canadians and how many more silent can be called fringe is the result of What Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University calls “illusion of consent”)
5. Unacceptable movement. (Unacceptable to whom)?
6. Dangerous (The Freedom Convoy Participants not only cleaned downtown Ottawa, fed the homeless, frequented businesses, they were continually dancing, drumming, hugging.  The Freedom Convoy cooperated with the police unil the last days when they attempted to stand their ground while kneeling, unarmed holding the charter in their hands before a brutal display of force).

Although Canadian corporate media refused to understand and capture the essence of the protest with its grass roots emergence and the learning curve that comes with it, much of the wider world saw it as a free and fabulous demonstration of Canada’s Citizens exercising their constitutional right to a peaceful protest.

Peaceful, until Trudeau’s army of force stepped in with intent to do violence should Canadians refuse to back down from their lawful, albeit highly disruptive presence.  The Emergency Act police crushed the process. Independent news sources captured the violence: pepper spray, horses, batons and body slams, kicking and punching to many, including veteran’s calling out as they were brutally taken to the ground. One veteran pleaded “I’m not resisting, I’m peaceful” yet his fellow Canadian in uniform slammed him to the ground. He asked for a different position because of wounds incurred during battle for your freedom and mine. He was denied.

What took place in Ottawa was an amazing moment of the people peacefully speaking truth to power.

The 16 – day trial of these two freedom leaders is an opportunity for the media, government, and judiciary of Canada to redeem these institutions.  In the service of protecting a just, free and democratic society, the court shall find both individuals innocent of all charges.  The media shall honestly explain why, and the government shall soon change hands as the people of Canada elect officials who will never again allow this political prisoner incident to ever darken our way again.

Join me as Conversation Café continues this discussion. Please contact me using the ‘Contact Page.’ I welcome your engagement.  If you wish your response to be posted, we will determine that together.