1 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to it could happen here and the second part 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: of my little mini series going into the occupation and 3 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: blockade protests all across Canada that's been happening the past 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: three weeks. For part two, we'll be starting off with 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,639 Speaker 1: a change of scenery. Instead of the loud, cramped streets 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: of Danton, Ottawa and the castle like Parliament building, We'll 7 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: be taking a detour to the snow covered prairies and 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: oil fields of rural Alberta. As the convoy officially arrived 9 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: in Ottawa on January, smaller protests against health mandates were 10 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: also happening across the entire country. One of these mini 11 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: protests was happening in the small city of Lethbridge in 12 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: southern Alberta, but unlike the majority of other non Ottawa protests, 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: the one based around Lethbridge didn't turn out to be 14 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: a bull weekend of fair With hundreds of vehicles, including 15 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: some semi trucks, RVs and farm tractors all gathered together. 16 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: It was decided to take part in a little mini 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: convoy of their own, but instead of going to a 18 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: capital building, they rolled towards the international border crossing used 19 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: by truckers in the area. I was able to interview 20 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: gen a left Bridge local who also happens to work 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: near the area of the Alberta border blockade. And they 22 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: kind of gathered in left Bridge here and took off 23 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: about four thirty in the morning. And so they made 24 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: it down to the village of coots Um, which is 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: essentially right on the border, is the last stop before 26 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: you hit the border at Coots Alberta, sweet Grass, Montana. 27 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: And they blocked off the highway completely heading both northbound 28 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: and southbound, and they've been camped out since. So it's 29 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: my understanding that at that point in time, throughout you know, 30 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: day one, two and three of their protest um, there 31 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: was no getting in or out out of the village 32 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: of Coops, which is it is a small village about 33 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: two fifty residents UM. And it was so bad that 34 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: not even emergency services could get through um again, blocking 35 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: both lanes of the highway in either direction in the 36 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: ditches Um and just weren't letting up. And so are 37 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: they even driving anywhere or is it are they just 38 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: like camped there, just camped out there, parked um. And 39 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: of course you know there's people that will drive down 40 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: to the border and participate for a couple hours and 41 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: you know, turn around and go home kind of thing. 42 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: But there is that core group, um, the majority of 43 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: which are actually farmers bringing down like their tractors, and 44 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: of course there is um some semitruck drivers who are 45 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: all a part of it and just not allowing anyone 46 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: to get through on either side, so you know, holding 47 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: up a lot of a lot of our supplies, a 48 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: lot of our um food and things like that. At first, 49 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: local police and RCMP just waited out the blockade, I guess, 50 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: hoping to see if the people would just get tired 51 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: of camping out in the cold and then you know, 52 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: go home. But after a few days that possibility seemed 53 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: less and less likely. Then when the RCMP did start 54 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: to get more actively involved with kind of managing the blockade, 55 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: albeit you know, with a very gentle hand and extremely 56 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: start contrast to how our CMP handles blockades, you know, 57 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: defending indigenous land. But at that point it was already 58 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: kind of too late and the pacified police action only 59 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: spread the protests efforts. On day four of the blockade 60 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: at the border um, the RCMP had kind of moved 61 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: in a little bit to try to break it up. 62 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: So some of the the protesters had kind of broken 63 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: off and decided to blockade's mother areas. So there was 64 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: a blockade that happened on Highway three just outside of 65 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: the town of Fort McLeod, on the way to the 66 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: town of Brockett, which would be on the Blood Reserve 67 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: here in Alberta. Um they blockaded the highway and wouldn't 68 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: let anyone through, and then they set up another blockade 69 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: um on Highway twenty three, which of course would be 70 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 1: the the next north south route given that Highway three 71 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: was now blocked off. The Highway three going to Highway too. Um. 72 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: So they've blocked off Highway twenty three. Um At there's 73 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: a traffic circle or a roundabout kind of in the 74 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: middle of nowhere in the highway at the village of Nobleford, 75 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: sorr town of Nobleford, and they set up a blockade 76 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: at the roundabout as well. Wouldn't let anyone come in 77 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: north south east west didn't matter. Um. So that was Tuesday, 78 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: Tuesday to uh four three. Yeah, so in effectively shutting 79 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: down any kind of like travel for like food and 80 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: supplies for like all four directions pretty much exactly. Yeah, 81 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: Like there was a lot of chatter on social media. Um, 82 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: we have a local Facebook group for road conditions, and 83 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: there was a lot of chatter, you know, where do 84 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: we go, how do we get around this? What back roads? 85 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: Should I take? Secondary highways? That sort of thing. And thankfully, 86 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: you know, there was still I suppose some ways to 87 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: get around it. The RCMP we're kind of setting up 88 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: detours and things like that. But those main routes were blockaded, 89 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: um on Tuesday, which would have been I guess what 90 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: days that February one. The static highway blockades preventing traffic 91 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 1: in all four directions were mostly a one day affair. 92 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: The next Wednesday morning, more effort was put back into 93 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: the main blockade at the border near Coots, with some 94 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: folks still participating in the rolling blockades of sorts, you know, 95 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: on the surrounding highways. So instead of just blocking the 96 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: roads by staying parked people in vehicles kept a slow 97 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: loop of traffic moving through the highway system to clog 98 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: up travel. And then like the contingent at closer to 99 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: the border has been more consistent, would say, yeah, definitely, 100 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: the contingent at the border on highway for like I said, 101 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: at Coots, Alberta. They've been set up all the way 102 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: through since the twenty nine UM. There has been days 103 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: where the tensions are definitely very high where those protesters 104 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,919 Speaker 1: are saying we will not leave until UM or we 105 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,919 Speaker 1: won't even come to the negotiating table until these restrictions 106 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: are gone, like we won't even attempt and so the 107 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: RCMP have been kind of in negotiations with them over 108 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: the last few days. There's been a couple of times 109 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: where they thought they had resolution to open up lanes 110 00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: of travel to get some of these trucks with goods through. UM. 111 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: Of course there's been people stuck in their cars as 112 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: well for quite a few days without food. At that point, UM, 113 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: the protesters originally had come to an agreement with the 114 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: RCNP to let some people through and then turn around 115 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: and decided, well, we don't really want to. So that 116 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: was kind of ongoing from I'm going to suggest up 117 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: until about second UM. On the second the RCMP had 118 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: set up a roadblock at the town of Milk River 119 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: to uh, I guess, dissuade the the locals from coming 120 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: out and adding to the congestion and adding to the problems, 121 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: and at one point um there was a group of 122 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: people and videos are on TikTok, they're on Facebook, they're 123 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: on Twitter where people are blasting through the barricades, going 124 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: through the ditch, going through the media and just bypassing 125 00:07:54,360 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: it completely to get down to the convoy protest. As 126 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: I record this, the border crossing port of entry near 127 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: the town of Coots has been largely impassable for over 128 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: two weeks. It's a major trade hub where millions of 129 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: dollars worth of agricultural products like meat and feed trade 130 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: hands each day. The first day had hundreds of vehicles 131 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: participating in blocking access to the trade route along highway 132 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: for but after a week of blockading the Alberta, Montana 133 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: border crossing, around eighty big rigs continued to remain along 134 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,440 Speaker 1: the highway for a majority of the time. Since the 135 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: twenty ninth of January, vehicle access has been either completely 136 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: stopped to and from the border or at least substantially 137 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: slowed down. The occasional day where vehicles are being let 138 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: through on one lane of traffic has an estimated seven 139 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: hours of stall time or to get through just that 140 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: tiny area of road. The blockade of that international port 141 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: of entry at Coots and the only seven commercial land 142 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: crossing in Alberta is a direct threat to the economic 143 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: well being of growers, producers, manufacturers, and many other businesses 144 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: that rely on the movement of both raw materials and 145 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: finished goods in and out along the can m X 146 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,319 Speaker 1: corridor end quote. Lewington has warned that manufacturing plants in 147 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: the region will be forced to either reduce or cancel 148 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: production as their supplies run out and they're unable to 149 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: get their goods to international markets. This is something farmers 150 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: and food producers are dealing with as well, as agricultural 151 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: exports are one of the region's main economic drivers. In 152 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: the left Bridge metropolitan area exported nearly one point eight 153 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: billion dollars worth of goods, around eight percent of which 154 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: went to the United States. A vast majority of these 155 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: exports went through this Coots border crossing. That means for 156 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: the city of lefth Bridge alone, they're facing a roughly 157 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: three million dollar a day impact on the economic damage 158 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: based on the road and rail travel that must move 159 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: through that port of entry. The impact is, of course 160 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: four or five time is larger than if you consider 161 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: the movement of other Alberta goods in and out of 162 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: that same North South corridor. It's only more ironic and 163 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: frustrating considering that the idea of shutting down international capitalist trade, 164 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: you know, costing millions dollars in losses each and every day, 165 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,319 Speaker 1: is exactly the sort of thing that these same conservatives 166 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: would complain that BLM or Antifa would do, you know, Like, 167 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,319 Speaker 1: in terms of anti capitalist action, this is actually more 168 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,839 Speaker 1: successful in causing damage to capital than really anything I've 169 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: seen the Canadian left do in recent memory. Now, obviously 170 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: police response to a left wing protest, you know, doing 171 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: similar tactics would probably greatly differ, you know, Plus the 172 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: fact that these people are participating in these blockades are 173 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: the same types of people that talk about their desire 174 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: to run down protesters in trucks, you know, whenever there's 175 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: marching in the street or an indigenous roadblockade to a 176 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: new oil pipeline. Nevertheless, on top of the police inability, 177 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: whether by choice or imagination, to handle the situation, and 178 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: considering both the conspiracy fueled political issues around masks of 179 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: vaccines and health mandates and the growing economic problems the 180 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,439 Speaker 1: blockade is causing, it's not super surprising that the conservative 181 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: government of Alberta again the process of removing health mandates 182 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 1: as the protests striked on and unfortunately it seems like 183 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: the province is listening and they're taking it seriously. I know. 184 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: Um last night our premier had gone on Facebook Live 185 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: and had an ounce that come Monday, the caucus will 186 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: vote as to whether or not to scrap it um, 187 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: which would mean that, like I said, now, there's no 188 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: longer that requirement to access some of these these services 189 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: from private businesses, and then ultimately that would lead us 190 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: back into our letter rip model that we had last summer. 191 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: The Monday vote came in the next day, February. Alberta 192 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: premiere and premiers are like the you know, equivalent of 193 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: governors for the states, but Alberta Premier Pas and Kenny 194 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: announced that the provinces so called COVID nineteen vaccine passport 195 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 1: program would end immediately, explaining that the restriction program had 196 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: serviance purpose but is no longer needed since Alberta has 197 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: passed the peak of omnercron infections about three weeks ago. 198 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: Capacity limits were also next Tuesday night for venues with 199 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: capacity limits under five hundred, including libraries and places of worship, 200 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: an effect of this past Sunday, February. The province will 201 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: also no longer require masking for children and youth in 202 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: schools and for any Albertans aged twelve and under in 203 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,839 Speaker 1: any setting. There is a second phase for Alberta's COVID 204 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: restriction and removal plan. On March one, the province is 205 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,280 Speaker 1: set to remove any remaining restrictions, including the indoor mask mandate, 206 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: work from home requirements, any remaining capacity limits and limits 207 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,439 Speaker 1: on social gatherings and screenings for youth activities. Jason Kenny 208 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 1: did deny that the move has anything to do with 209 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: the protests from those you know demanding the repeal of 210 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 1: vaccine mandates of all types across the country, including the 211 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: pockade that the government had condemned illegal at the Coots 212 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: Border crossing, saying, quote, none of that has anything to 213 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: do with a few trucks participating at the Coots border crossing. Um, 214 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: who added that keeping previous rules in place would invite 215 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,599 Speaker 1: widespread non compliance for no purpose, saying why keep this 216 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: going on for a few days when we know that 217 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 1: in many areas were already having non compliance problems. So yeah, um, 218 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:29,319 Speaker 1: of course, the demonstrations have continued despite Alberta dropping multiple 219 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: health measures and agreeing to a demand made by a 220 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: lot of the anti mandate protesters, which implies that this 221 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: protest is about much more than simple COVID health measures. Right. 222 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: It points to the movement being more about taking political 223 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,319 Speaker 1: power and forcing everyone to comply with their own conspiratorial 224 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: and alienated understanding of the world. As someone who's like 225 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: living in Alberta, which is, you know, one of the 226 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 1: more conservative provinces of Canada. Um, how much do you 227 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: see this kind of this kind of you know, spontaneous 228 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: revolt and resistance to be actually tied to the health 229 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 1: man dates and how much do you see it? It's 230 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: more like a revolt around like Trudeau and Canada's like 231 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,560 Speaker 1: Canada's like um veneer of liberalism, like like like how 232 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: like how much do you did you see? It's more 233 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: like a urban rule divide thing that's now just getting 234 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: pushed into the spotlight because of COVID um or do 235 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: you think it really is way more about COVID itself? Um? 236 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: I think that the pandemic has definitely had a role 237 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: to play in sparking a lot of this this fearer 238 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: and this uh, this disconnect, But the seeds have been 239 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: sown for many years, through many successive provincial governments and 240 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: and much rhetoric that um, the West has always been 241 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: ignored by the East, by our political institutions in the East, 242 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: namely otto our federal government, the seat of our federal 243 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: government in favor of you know, Ontario and Quebec and 244 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: what they want to Alberton's have always seen themselves with 245 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: a bit of a martyr complex where we are the 246 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: economic powerhouse of the country, but we are the ugly 247 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: stepchild and we are ignored in favor of the wonderful 248 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: children in the East. And so that that disconnect and 249 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: that divide has always been there, and the pandemic has 250 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: been the catalyst. UM. And of course, you know, whenever 251 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: there is a federal liberal party that's in in power, 252 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: the conservatives feel the Conservatives in Alberta and in the 253 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: West they feel even more disenfranchised. They feel that this 254 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: this government doesn't hear them, they don't listen to them, 255 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: they don't you know, follow the whims of you know, 256 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: the died in the world conservatives. And so that rhetoric 257 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: has built and built and built over the years, UM, 258 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: and it's all tied into other things as well as 259 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: tied into the economic policies and the policies of the 260 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: liberal government with in regards to climate change and carbon 261 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: tax and how how that's been hitting um Alberton's you know, 262 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: they our province is very heavily dependent upon the oil 263 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: and gas sector and it always has been for the 264 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: last i'm gonna suggest fifty six years. And so when 265 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: they see things like in Autumna where they're talking about 266 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: climate change and they're talking about you know, green energy, 267 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: it makes these conservatives angry because this has been our 268 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: bread and butter for years. This is what's fed our families. 269 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: They don't recognize that, you know, this is this is 270 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: the path forward. All they hear is we don't want you, 271 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: we don't want your jobs, we don't want your products. 272 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: And they're angry. And this has been the catalyst now 273 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: where they're just fed up. They're up with with not 274 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: being heard. Unfortunately, all that built up anger and resentment 275 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: towards the government and its leadership is ending up being 276 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: taken out against just any symbol of liberalism, not really 277 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: the government directly. You know. Within this worldview, homophobic attacks 278 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: can be then thought up as this weird form of 279 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: punching up because gainness is associated with liberalism, so it's 280 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: seen as almost this system of power, even though it's 281 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 1: that's obviously backwards. It's this kind of weird backwards thing 282 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: where you can view like attacking progressive things as an 283 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: attack on the system. So that means like being racist 284 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: or being homophobic. Is this rebellion against you know, the 285 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: system itself, even though it just ties into all those 286 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: same systemic issues. Just the other day in Edmonton, there 287 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: was a business owner, uh, a hair salon owner who's 288 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: been very outspoken about this Freedom Convoy and about how 289 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: she doesn't agree with their messaging and their their ideas, 290 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: and she was actually hunted down on social media, um, 291 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: hunted down in person. They found her, someone found her 292 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: her business, went to her business and confronted her and 293 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: assaulted her UM at her business, all because she uh 294 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: does not support the convoy and apparently this individual did. UM. 295 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: You know, we definitely we definitely see here that. UM. 296 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: The feeling is is that if you are a liberal 297 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: in Alberta, this is not the place for you. UM. 298 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: You know, if you if you believe in you know, 299 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: equal rights for everyone, this is not the place for you. 300 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: If you believe in the rights of marginalized and minority communities, 301 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 1: this is not the place for you. And I've seen that, 302 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,439 Speaker 1: you know, and taking part in various protests I suppose 303 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: that could be branded as liberal protests, like the Black 304 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: Lives Matter protests and UM the protests and rallies that 305 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 1: were held in support of the indigenous communities last summer 306 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,399 Speaker 1: upon you know, the news that kind of shook the 307 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: world regarding UM graves at residential schools, and you know, 308 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: you see it with the indigenous communities that protest pipelines 309 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: on their traditional lands and they block you know, railways, 310 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: and the same people that are screaming for jail time 311 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 1: and for violence and and police intervention on these various 312 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: protests are the same people that are taking part in 313 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: this convoy. Protesters at the Cootes border crossing will now 314 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: be charged or find according to the province and the RCMP. 315 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: R CMP Deputy Chief Curtis is A. Blocky said in 316 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: a news conference during the start out the second week 317 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: of the Alberta border blockade that police are actively working 318 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: to diffuse situation at the most important border crossing in Alberta, 319 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,679 Speaker 1: but are trying to do so peacefully, saying, make no mistake, 320 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: there are criminal activities taking place at these protest sites 321 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: that violate both criminal code and provincial laws. We've seen 322 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,400 Speaker 1: activities that are both dangerous and reckless and are having 323 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,240 Speaker 1: a very negative effect on Alberton's who live in the area. 324 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: He then pointed to you know, dwindling numbers involving the 325 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 1: blockade from a high of around two fifty vehicles to 326 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 1: begin with two around fifty vehicles last Tuesday afternoon as 327 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: a success of their efforts to this point. But you 328 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: know this isn't convinced everyone, since the blockade is still happening. 329 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: So Acting Justice Minister and Solicitor General Sonia Savage called 330 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: the blockade intolerable and said that those taking part in 331 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,199 Speaker 1: the demonstration can be charged under several different federal and 332 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:59,479 Speaker 1: provincial laws, including the Federal Criminal Code, the Provincial Traffic 333 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:03,640 Speaker 1: Safety Act, and the New Critical Infrastructure Defense Act, which 334 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: was enacted right in the middle of during the international 335 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: George Floyd uprising and the Cettain rail blockades in Canada. 336 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: I'm going to go into many tangent here just because 337 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: of how terrible this bill is. The bill gives law 338 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,360 Speaker 1: enforcement and the judicial system extra power to dish out 339 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: significant monetary fines and extra jail time for actions deemed 340 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: to interfere with so called essential infrastructure quote unquote. The 341 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: stated goal of the bill is harsher penalties and charges 342 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: for quote damage or interference caused by blockades, protests, or 343 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: similar activities who can cause significant public safety, social, economic, 344 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: and environmental consequences. The Act builds on existing trespassing laws 345 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 1: to create offenses for trespassing on, destroying, damaging, and obstructing 346 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 1: the use or operation of any essential infrastructure, also under 347 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,880 Speaker 1: the banner of essential infrastructure that includes public and private property. 348 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: By the way, the bill was obviously aimed at left 349 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: wing protests and specifically equal defense and environmental protest and 350 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,920 Speaker 1: or sabotage, as the first two things defined as essential 351 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: infrastructure in the bill are quote pipelines and related infrastructure 352 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,640 Speaker 1: and oil and gas production and refinery sites. So yeah. 353 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,200 Speaker 1: There's also been pressure from government officials to include forfeiture 354 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: property in the commission of crime through the Civil Forfeiture Act. 355 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,679 Speaker 1: Our CMP deputy chiefs the blocks that charges will be 356 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,160 Speaker 1: coming for those taking part in the protest, and could 357 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: be as simple as the way they are illegally parked 358 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 1: on the highway. He didn't note that the RCMP has 359 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: attempted to hire local towing companies to move the trucks 360 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,680 Speaker 1: and other equipment off the road, but have been unable 361 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: to do so, with the companies sitting concerns over damaged 362 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: their business long term or just safety issues in general. 363 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: This has also been a huge factor in attempts to 364 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,160 Speaker 1: deal with the Ottawa occupation. Zablocki said that there are 365 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: concerns over safety and violence in response to the more 366 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: aggressive approaches to breaking up the blockade. So far, the 367 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: main action law enforcement has taken to dissuay people from 368 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: blocking the border is just giving out tickets and fines 369 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: for illegal parking. Premier Jason Kenny said that he is 370 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: supportive of our CMP handling this as they see fit 371 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: through the means that they already have, and has been 372 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: supportive of using the you know, pretty horribly authoritarian Critical 373 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: Infrastructure Defense Act, saying quote last year we passed the 374 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: Defense of Critical Infrastructure Act, which gives police enormous powers 375 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: and various defines the penalties, including the power of imprisonment. 376 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: We have made it clear to the RCMP who is 377 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: our Provincial Policing Service that they can and should use 378 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 1: all of these powers. They're dealing with a very fluid 379 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: situation and I have respect for their judgment. Prime Minister 380 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 1: Justin Trudeau addressed the ongoing blockades and protests across the 381 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,920 Speaker 1: country this past Friday, encouraging demonstrators to leave, while also 382 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: passing the buck on any blame, saying, quote, I want 383 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 1: to remind everybody that politicians don't direct police depart wants 384 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: to enforce the law. Instead, Trudeau made vague threats around 385 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: revoking licenses and criminal records for those continuing to protest, 386 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: saying everything is on the table because this unlawful blockade 387 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: has to end and will end. The blockade at the 388 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: Cootes border crossing is not the only convoy a line 389 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,840 Speaker 1: protest in Alberta. There have been many demonstrations in basically 390 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 1: every major city in Calgary. The Alberta Union of Provincial 391 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: Employees says that frontline healthcare workers, patients and people living 392 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 1: around the Sheldon Commuter Health Center have dealt with protests 393 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 1: for weeks, but things have only gotten worse since the 394 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: truck convoy hit the news. The vice president of the 395 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 1: Alberta Union for provincial employees said that protesters have blocked 396 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 1: the ambulance bain, they have harassed workers and patients as 397 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: they um to and from the center. They've banged on 398 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: the windows of the facility and upset people inside, and 399 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,639 Speaker 1: they have blocked the roads around the center. Moving on 400 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: to the province of British Columbia. As the second weekend 401 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 1: of protest was set to descend on Vancouver the weekend 402 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 1: of February five. In preparation, fearing attacks would be carried 403 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: out against healthcare workers like they have in the past, 404 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: Vancouver's to health authorities issued internal mos telling health workers 405 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: to hide indoors as the convoy passed through the city 406 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: and to quote refrain from wearing scrubs and or your 407 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,879 Speaker 1: ID badge outside the hospital during the demonstration. If you 408 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: do encounter any protesters, please do not engage with them 409 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 1: or respond to their questions, and please do not ask 410 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: protesters to put on a face mask. Similarly, ahead of 411 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: a protest in Toronto, the Toronto Police sent letters to 412 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: hospitals advising their workers to not wear any clothing or 413 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: markings that identified them as working in healthcare, fearing attacks 414 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 1: by protesters. As the second wave of the Convoy arrived 415 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: during the second weekend of the occupation in Ottawa, some 416 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,920 Speaker 1: of the on the ground organizational structure started a morphin evolve. 417 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 1: The police estimated around this time that five thousand people 418 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: were still protesting in Ottawa and around one thousand vehicles 419 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 1: were clogging the streets during the second week of protests. 420 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: In an effort to improve optics. Considering the four original 421 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 1: organizers explicit connections to the far right, a new lead, organizational, 422 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 1: public relations, and bargaining team was assembled for the group, 423 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: calling themselves the Freedom Convoy. The new pseudo leadership team 424 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 1: consists of Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who was 425 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: on the Prime Minister's security detail. He quit last year 426 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: after refusing to get the vaccine, and is now the 427 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: Convoy's head of security. Tom Quicken, former military intelligence officer 428 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: who also worked with RCMP and was considered one of 429 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: the country's top counter terrorism experts. And Tom Marazo, an 430 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: ex military officer who, according to his linked in profile, 431 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: served in the Canadian Armed Forces for twenty five years 432 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 1: and ours as a freelance software developer and just side 433 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: note in terms of you know, police and former military 434 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: participating in the protests. There was an organization full of 435 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: retired police that endorsed the convoy a few weeks ago 436 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: and said that they have people on the ground there, 437 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: and just got announced as as I'm recording this, that 438 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:32,360 Speaker 1: two members of Canada's military counter terrorism unit is under 439 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:36,400 Speaker 1: investigation for allegedly taking part in the Ottawa Convoy protests. 440 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 1: So yeah, that's fun. The occupation has been getting more 441 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: and more organized on the ground the past two weeks 442 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: and has been able to keep one step ahead of 443 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: any action taken against police against the occupation. Even just 444 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: what the convoy participants have physically built is impressive. Less 445 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,359 Speaker 1: than a week after the convoy arrived, you started to 446 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: see one structure is being built on the roads and 447 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: a growing stockpile of propane and diesel fuel. There is 448 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: an impressive amount of tents and wooden structures used for 449 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,280 Speaker 1: kitchens that local organizers have set up, and a whole 450 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: supply chain has sprung up across the city to keep 451 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: these people fed, working and protesting. I'm now going to 452 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:21,479 Speaker 1: quote a good article in the CBC by Judy Trend quote. 453 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 1: The group is set up not only near the Parliament 454 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: in Ottawa, but they have also built two encampment areas 455 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: where they carry out logistical and supply work. Recent reporting 456 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: has painted a picture that these areas are far more 457 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: organized than widely thought. The group is also trying out 458 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: new tactics, such as attempting to clog up traffic at 459 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: the Ottawa Airport. Other tactics like swatting have been reported 460 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,520 Speaker 1: as well. Ottawa Police say they're aware of a concerted 461 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 1: effort to flood our one and non emergency police reporting lines, 462 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: tweeting that this endangers lives and is completely unacceptable. Determined 463 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: to not be outdone by their fellow protesters in the 464 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: best After the second wave arrived, the members of the 465 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: Ottawa Convoy organized away for the Convoy occupation to stay, 466 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: but also put up a border crossing blockade of their own. 467 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: Starting Sunday, February six, scores of truckers blocked the Ambassador 468 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan, disrupting the flow 469 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: of auto parts and other products between the two countries. 470 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: While this protest has been conducted more by pickup trucks 471 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: than big rigs, it has been holding up the lanes. 472 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: The bridge is the busiest US Canada border crossing and 473 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: a key cog in both the US and Canadian economies 474 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: as it carries around twenty five percent of trade between 475 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,560 Speaker 1: the two countries. The effects of the blockade there were 476 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: felt rapidly. The bridge regularly carries around three hundred sixty 477 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 1: million dollars a day in two way cargoes, but traffic 478 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: is limited by its nineteen nine physical footprint. There's just 479 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: two lanes each way with no shoulders and and created 480 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: customs boots, with the northern side just emptying out into 481 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: the city streets. The bumper to bumper demonstration forced auto 482 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: plants on both sides the border to shut down or 483 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: scale back production. The halting of trade has bottlenecked automaker 484 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: Ford's ability to get parts from the US to its 485 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 1: Canadian plants in Windsor and Oaksville. Ford to shut down 486 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: the doors of its Windsor plant and reduced the work 487 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: schedule in Oakville. Forward set in a statement, the interruption 488 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: on the Detroit Windsor Bridge hurts customers, autoworkers, suppliers, communities, 489 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: and companies on both sides of the border. We hope 490 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: the situation is resolved quickly because it could have widespread 491 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: impact on all automakers in the US and Canada. Automaker 492 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: Toyota said that it's three D plants in Ontario closed 493 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 1: for the rest of the week because of parts shortages, 494 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: and a production has also been curtailed in Georgetown, Kentucky. 495 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 1: More on the U S side of things, GM, Jeep 496 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: and Honda all hours cut and assembly lines shut down 497 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: at their factories across Michigan and Ohio. Michigan Governor Gretchen 498 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: Whittemore urged Canadian authorities to quickly resolve the stand off, 499 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: saying it's hitting paychecks and production lines and that is unacceptable. 500 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: The federal Public Safety Minister has said that the Royal 501 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: Canadian amount of police reinforcements are being sent to Windsor, 502 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: Ottawa and to Coots, Alberta, where the other border blockade 503 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 1: is happening. With political and economic pressure amounting. Windsor Mayor 504 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: Drew Dilkins announced that the city would seek a court 505 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 1: injunction to end the occupation, saying that the economic harm 506 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: is just not sustainable and it must come to an end. 507 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 1: On Thursday, February tenth, the Biden administration urged Prime Minister 508 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: Justin Trudeau's government on Thursday to use its federal powers 509 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,360 Speaker 1: to end the truck blockade. At the other side of 510 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,680 Speaker 1: the Detroit border. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of 511 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: products have been held back for days as fifty to 512 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:59,480 Speaker 1: sixty vehicles and around a hundred anti mandate protesters camp 513 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 1: out on the main road that leads on and off 514 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: the bridge. And yes, it is ironic that the same 515 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: people who are trying to sell Canadians fake stories about 516 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: failing supply lines and empty shelves are now causing those 517 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,920 Speaker 1: supply lines to fail and causing those shelves to go empty. 518 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: The irony is not lost on me, but it may 519 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: be lost on the convoy participants. Throughout running these episodes, 520 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: I was fortunate enough to get to talk to multiple 521 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: people who have been on the ground in downtown Ottawa. 522 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 1: One such of these people's is Peter Smith, an investigative 523 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: journalist for the Canadian Anti Hate Network. We recorded our 524 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: conversation and I'm going to include some audio clips throughout 525 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: the rest of the episode. We started off by discussing 526 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: what made this protest movement pop off in this specific 527 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:46,640 Speaker 1: time and place. I do you think it was maybe 528 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: capitalizing on a moment, but also a fair amount of luck. 529 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: You know, since two thousand ninety, the same organizers have 530 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,080 Speaker 1: attempted to put together other convoys, you know, generally never 531 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: rising to the amount of attention that they had into 532 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: that in nineteen Um. You know, this convoy was also 533 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: planned long before they specifically started focusing on truckers, and 534 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 1: then it was it was a galvanizing issue. It resonated 535 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:19,040 Speaker 1: with people who are frustrated with the Trudeau government. Um 536 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: and just they're they're handling of of health measures as 537 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: well as just became a like a vehicle for expressing 538 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: their general dissatisfaction with their own provinces, like most of 539 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: our health mandates are provincial, like the Alberta government is 540 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: handing down what's happening in Alberta. UM. So it's it's 541 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: not just it's not just a federal issue, but coming 542 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: down here and occupying the streets of Ottawa and that 543 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 1: now we're seeing occupying most of our major cities. UM. 544 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 1: You know, ones like Winnipeg gets significantly less attention, but 545 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: are incredibly disruptive locally, um and in some cases more 546 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: kind of insinior than the one that we have out 547 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,160 Speaker 1: here where you know, participants and organizers are desperately trying 548 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: to clamp down on on any individuals who's engaging in 549 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:13,319 Speaker 1: haraspment or uh well or is more common blaming it 550 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: on liberal plants. Um. Yeah, it just it became this 551 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,960 Speaker 1: kind of expression of all of the frustration and very 552 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: quickly drew attention even from people who have been dismissive 553 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: of it very early on because of some of the organizers. Um, 554 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:31,360 Speaker 1: once it really started to galvanate, galvanized attention and of 555 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:38,520 Speaker 1: course money. Uh if people couldn't couldn't stay away. I 556 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: mean to the point that we even have mainstream conservative 557 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: politicians now getting on board with it, including the man 558 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 1: who's very likely to be the future leader of the 559 00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 1: Conservative Party here. I mean, we're in a very unique 560 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 1: moment um, you know, are our far right and kind 561 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: of conspiracy culture in Canada has also been getting better 562 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: at organizing over the course of the pandemic. Wants to 563 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: get like all major cities have and many small towns 564 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:07,520 Speaker 1: continue to have anti mandate um anti lockdown protests. We 565 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: usually refer to them as the COVID conspiracy movement, just 566 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: because of how and heavily heavily informed. It is by 567 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 1: conspiratorial thinking. Um So, it's it's like you had a 568 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,200 Speaker 1: large amount of people kind of spending the past two 569 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,600 Speaker 1: years and like a on the ground boot camp of 570 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:26,919 Speaker 1: how to organize within these cities and how to get 571 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 1: people's attention, and of course, like like a lot of 572 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,839 Speaker 1: the far right here, it fragmented. There was a lot 573 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: of infighting. Uh. And then you know, once they became 574 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: a central point that was was galvanizing a lot of attention. 575 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,319 Speaker 1: It started receiving international attention. You know, There's been some 576 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,000 Speaker 1: questions about the source of some of the money, but 577 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: certainly the initial totals seemed to be organically Canadian. Yeah. Um, 578 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 1: it just became too big to fall apart, essentially, at 579 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 1: least at this point. Um. There has been some spats 580 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: of infighting, but mostly you know, the most polarizing figures 581 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,319 Speaker 1: are either just keeping their head down or in some 582 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,840 Speaker 1: cases even choosing to stay away from the main events 583 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: so as not to be a distraction. Um there's a lot. 584 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,359 Speaker 1: One of the lines I see a lot is like 585 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: this is the moment, this is for all the marvels. Um. 586 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:21,120 Speaker 1: So there's a huge amount of importance being placed on 587 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: that what actually happens, like whether they're able to paint 588 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: what we've the like the actual rolling back of band 589 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 1: adates that we were already starting to see before the 590 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: convoy began, um as some type of victory for them, 591 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,840 Speaker 1: um or if this leads to further disillusionment. You know, 592 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,239 Speaker 1: we don't really know at this point, but I think 593 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:47,359 Speaker 1: this moment is going to be a propaganda tool um 594 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 1: and kind of a the point of I think it's 595 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,080 Speaker 1: gonna be a propaganda tool and like a point of 596 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 1: motivation for a long time from your like both on 597 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: the ground stuff and just from monitoring stuff online. What 598 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:06,839 Speaker 1: do you think like the actual actionable intention was once 599 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 1: they arrived in Ottawa, Like do you think they had 600 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: a clear plan of what to do or was it 601 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:18,319 Speaker 1: more like let's go here and then we'll figure things out. Well, 602 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,160 Speaker 1: initially there there was a manum Initially there was a 603 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,640 Speaker 1: memorandum of understanding which laid out kind of the points 604 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: of what the initial organizers were hoping to accomplish, something 605 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,440 Speaker 1: they called the Operation may Or hug Um, which includes 606 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:33,960 Speaker 1: having the Governor General and our Senate, both of whom 607 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: are unelected uh dissolved parliament and reform the government immediately 608 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: after we had a federal election. UM. Since then, the 609 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 1: message has evolved like they're trying to stay very very 610 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,720 Speaker 1: like on script with this just being about freedom, um, 611 00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: this just being about mandates. You know, initially there was 612 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:00,760 Speaker 1: a lot of attempts to even get people to stop 613 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:04,040 Speaker 1: mentioning the vaccine, though those seems to kind of fallen 614 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: by the wayside, especially when you start looking at the speakers. 615 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,640 Speaker 1: It is interesting to kind of wonder what the actual 616 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:16,319 Speaker 1: goal is there. They've started meeting with public officials, you know, 617 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 1: there is some type of negotiation going on. Um. Obstensibly 618 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: the goal is just to have these border restrictions lifted 619 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,040 Speaker 1: on people on truckers who are unvaccinated returning from the US. 620 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: You know. The obvious thing is the point out that 621 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:34,960 Speaker 1: the US still has a very similar policy in reverse 622 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: agein here would have no impact um on their ability 623 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: to to avoid this quarantine. But um, it seems like 624 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 1: the goals are fairly murky, and that's almost deliberate because 625 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:51,319 Speaker 1: then they can declare victory kind of when it suits them. 626 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:56,200 Speaker 1: Ambiguity around protust goals, demands and purpose itself can be 627 00:38:56,280 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: a useful tactic. The Crime Think zine slash article titled 628 00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:03,400 Speaker 1: why we Don't make Demands makes such a case. I 629 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,760 Speaker 1: don't have time to summarize it here, but I recommend 630 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,080 Speaker 1: you give the article a look if you're interested in 631 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:11,279 Speaker 1: this train of thought as an intentional tactic. But on 632 00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:14,640 Speaker 1: the flip side, you know, vague and directionless protest without 633 00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:17,720 Speaker 1: much of a focus on a specific goal can also 634 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,520 Speaker 1: cause protests to peter her out without having any lasting 635 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:24,160 Speaker 1: impact on the world. A discussion worth having is how 636 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:27,799 Speaker 1: the individual people that make up the convay participants have 637 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,239 Speaker 1: been convinced to take part in an occupation protest and 638 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:34,960 Speaker 1: how what is considered valid political action has broadened in 639 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,080 Speaker 1: their own heads if they are the ones doing the action, 640 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,279 Speaker 1: of course, because from their point of view, since they 641 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,560 Speaker 1: are doing it, the cause must be valid and therefore 642 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:49,719 Speaker 1: the action is justified. In we had the Wetsuin rail 643 00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: blockades UM that was put on by various members of 644 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,239 Speaker 1: our first nations and then people who supported them, you know, 645 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:02,960 Speaker 1: the same politicians they're meeting with the truckers, embracing them UM, 646 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: saying that our current prime ministers demonizing them UM by 647 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 1: kind of casting them as under desirables we're we're you know, 648 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:14,960 Speaker 1: we're actively calling people sitting on train tracks as terrorists 649 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 1: who are disrupting our economy. Um. Obviously, in the context 650 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:22,279 Speaker 1: of the pandemic pandemic, that's very different because there has 651 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:26,799 Speaker 1: been kind of mass disruption too to our economy. But 652 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: this kind of picking and choosing, of of suiting the 653 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,840 Speaker 1: narrative to court far eight voters seems to be popular. 654 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:38,399 Speaker 1: You know how, Conservatives typically aren't seen as the protesting type. Right, 655 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:40,960 Speaker 1: Conservatives are supposed to be the type of people who 656 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:44,040 Speaker 1: drive by the protest and yelled get a job. They're 657 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:46,440 Speaker 1: not the ones who are out in the streets picketing. 658 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:50,120 Speaker 1: But first of all, that's not really true. Historically, in 659 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:53,799 Speaker 1: just the past one years, there's always been conservative protests 660 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: for you know, regressive and reactionary goals. Also, conservatives have 661 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,520 Speaker 1: been much better at organising off the street for their 662 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:08,120 Speaker 1: political policies, specifically around like abortion or Christian dominionism, antiqueer legislation, 663 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:12,279 Speaker 1: or recent stuff around anti CRT and just the mainstream 664 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: racism denial that's been propagated through media. But even if 665 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:22,000 Speaker 1: there is historical precedent for conservative protest, bridging the gap 666 00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:24,759 Speaker 1: of what is seen as valid political action in the 667 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: minds of these convoy attendees did still take place over 668 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:31,880 Speaker 1: just the past few years, just the past two years, specifically, 669 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:35,680 Speaker 1: there's been so much conservative protests around COVID. A whole 670 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,520 Speaker 1: bunch of the people at the Ottawa protest probably five 671 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,720 Speaker 1: years ago would have never seen themselves going to protest 672 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,839 Speaker 1: in the Canadian capital. Right Like, if you told them 673 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,120 Speaker 1: a few years ago that you're going to drive all 674 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,960 Speaker 1: these kilometers to the Parliament to camp out in the 675 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,919 Speaker 1: cold for weeks to protest against the government and its 676 00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:57,800 Speaker 1: rules for helping not spread the deadliest pandemic in a century, 677 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,440 Speaker 1: they would have probably laughed out of the room. So 678 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:04,120 Speaker 1: what is the logical progression of conservative people who generally, 679 00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:06,719 Speaker 1: you know, look down on any type of protest, especially 680 00:42:06,719 --> 00:42:10,040 Speaker 1: occupy style protests, to the point where they are driving 681 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:12,320 Speaker 1: all the way to the capital to camp outside the building. 682 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:15,480 Speaker 1: To Hong Korn's day and night. A lot of that 683 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,880 Speaker 1: political change the past few years correlates to the pandemic, 684 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,120 Speaker 1: to the social isolation and the great opportunity for the 685 00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:26,239 Speaker 1: fast spread of conspiratorial politics that it offered over the 686 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 1: course of the pandemic. There's been this huge blending of 687 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:33,040 Speaker 1: rhetoric online and especially in Canada, this kind of villainization 688 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:37,280 Speaker 1: of the other side. Increasingly less and less criticism against 689 00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: the current government is less based on its policy and 690 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:44,080 Speaker 1: more based on its figurehead and the image of Trudeau 691 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 1: as a globalist politics as opposition to whatever Trudeau and 692 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:51,480 Speaker 1: the Liberals are doing. The result of that is just 693 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:54,200 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of escalation, because you have to keep 694 00:42:54,239 --> 00:42:58,160 Speaker 1: always being antagonistic and always being contrarian no matter what 695 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:01,880 Speaker 1: the opposition actually does. The thing is a lot of 696 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: people who used to just be kind of more general conservatives, 697 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:09,520 Speaker 1: as they get radicalized online and get caught up with 698 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:13,120 Speaker 1: farther right extremest elements, most of them still view themselves 699 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:16,640 Speaker 1: as like the norm. They don't think they've politically changed 700 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:18,799 Speaker 1: the past five years, but if you look at their 701 00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:23,400 Speaker 1: rhetoric and actions, they definitely have kind of substantially, But 702 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:26,200 Speaker 1: they still view themselves the same way they would when 703 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 1: they were voting forced to even harper. Unless you're a 704 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:33,319 Speaker 1: self described extremist, you typically view everything that you do 705 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,839 Speaker 1: and say as normal and reasonable. Like you, you are 706 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:40,600 Speaker 1: the actual normal. Everyone else is shifted either way relative 707 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:44,520 Speaker 1: to you. During our talk, I asked investigative journalist Peter 708 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: Smith on his opinions about what sorts of political and 709 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:52,279 Speaker 1: social factors have allowed the occupation in blockades to have 710 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 1: enough numbers to last and continue on so long. Um. 711 00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:59,239 Speaker 1: Kind of having spent a lot of time on the 712 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:01,560 Speaker 1: ground at the to a convoy just talking to people 713 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:05,760 Speaker 1: as like as a normal guy without my press hat on. Um, 714 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,600 Speaker 1: it does seem like one there's a lot of owner 715 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:12,879 Speaker 1: operators there, like when it comes to the trucks themselves. Um, 716 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:17,239 Speaker 1: these people are the business owners um or like very 717 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:21,080 Speaker 1: close like they're kind of independent contractors exactly. Um. I 718 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 1: think there was a report that came out showing a 719 00:44:23,239 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 1: survey that done that like roughly half of the people 720 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 1: there were unemployed. Um. So like the financial promise of 721 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:34,439 Speaker 1: all the money raised may have been a big draw. 722 00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:37,080 Speaker 1: Like not to say that these people don't legitimately believe 723 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:42,640 Speaker 1: the reasons absolutely, um, but it created an incentive. Um. 724 00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:45,320 Speaker 1: But then having roughly half of them, you know, still 725 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:48,280 Speaker 1: having jobs. You know, it comes down to a little 726 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:51,360 Speaker 1: bit more than just money, Like it's about actual belief, 727 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 1: actual ideology. Um. But it is interesting for a large 728 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:59,560 Speaker 1: amount of people who were extremely worried about supply lines 729 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: about people having enough food initially, um to kind of 730 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:07,920 Speaker 1: creating this self fulfilling prophecy where where that seems to 731 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:10,239 Speaker 1: be the main tactic is just to grind as much 732 00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:14,080 Speaker 1: to a halt as they can, using as much as 733 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,480 Speaker 1: many people as they can muster. And then just the 734 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:20,640 Speaker 1: kind of general hands off approach that law enforcement is 735 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:24,520 Speaker 1: taking with them, um has allowed them to organize better, 736 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:28,560 Speaker 1: to evolve their tactics to be more effective. Um. Like, 737 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:31,719 Speaker 1: I certainly don't think a policing solution is is what's 738 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: going to solve this, and you know there's a lot 739 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: of calls for that, which is I think just going 740 00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:37,759 Speaker 1: to result in a lot of people getting hurt in 741 00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:44,160 Speaker 1: the street. Um. But but yeah, like it is interesting 742 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:46,680 Speaker 1: that how it kind of it came from the West 743 00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:49,600 Speaker 1: mostly and then landed in Ottawa and then kind of 744 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,360 Speaker 1: spread out from there once people realized it was effective, 745 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:57,040 Speaker 1: once people realized, you know, there was there was safety 746 00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:03,239 Speaker 1: in these numbers. Um. It's it's ron, It's drawn so 747 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:05,799 Speaker 1: many people to it, it's it's honestly shock. It's it 748 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:09,239 Speaker 1: has been shocking, truly how quickly it is spread and 749 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,440 Speaker 1: how effective it has been. It's not January six in 750 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:14,880 Speaker 1: the sense that like people are running around Parliament and 751 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 1: like trying to find you know, every liberal politician, but 752 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:20,279 Speaker 1: in the sense that it's a large amount of people 753 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:24,800 Speaker 1: motivated by conspiracy. Yeah, and that's where I view the parallel. 754 00:46:25,160 --> 00:46:28,960 Speaker 1: And because they and honestly, the the actual sincerity of 755 00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:32,600 Speaker 1: it poses more of a political threat than the animosity 756 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:36,479 Speaker 1: of January six. Um, in terms of like long term 757 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,440 Speaker 1: like actual social change, and using this type of like 758 00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:42,680 Speaker 1: occupation as a tactic, the more sincere you are, the 759 00:46:42,719 --> 00:46:44,640 Speaker 1: more of an actual political threat you can be in 760 00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,640 Speaker 1: the long term, because yeah, if they start, if they 761 00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:48,960 Speaker 1: storm Parliament, then I'll get shut down in a day, 762 00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:50,840 Speaker 1: and then they will be demonized and then then the 763 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:53,360 Speaker 1: problem is over. Um at least at least in the 764 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,360 Speaker 1: short term. Right. Um. But if you actually like do 765 00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:00,600 Speaker 1: this sincerely and actually get people to buckle on deer pressure, 766 00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:04,560 Speaker 1: then that's like actual successful politics, Like that is you're 767 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:08,120 Speaker 1: you're actually doing politics objectively. Well, um, and that's more 768 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:12,720 Speaker 1: interesting to point out. The problem isn't protesting, Like protesting 769 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:17,120 Speaker 1: as a concept isn't the issue. The problem isn't even blockade. No, 770 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:19,600 Speaker 1: the problem is not blockades either. Yeah, all these things 771 00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 1: are just tactics, and tactics are value neutral. Um usually 772 00:47:23,719 --> 00:47:25,680 Speaker 1: you know, it's until you get to take genocide when 773 00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:28,880 Speaker 1: it's usually that's a kind of kind of kind of 774 00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:33,040 Speaker 1: a downer generally. Um. But in generally I kind of 775 00:47:33,120 --> 00:47:36,279 Speaker 1: view put protest tactics as more value neutral. It's about 776 00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:41,000 Speaker 1: kind of what the underlying cultural motivation is and what 777 00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:45,000 Speaker 1: they want the results to be. And even still, you know, 778 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,440 Speaker 1: some of the some of the points they have are 779 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:51,120 Speaker 1: not completely invalid um, but once it gets caught up 780 00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:53,759 Speaker 1: in a cultural war kind of mindset, it's like you 781 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:57,560 Speaker 1: have to oppose it just because they're on the other side. Um. 782 00:47:57,600 --> 00:47:59,680 Speaker 1: So I kind of want to talk about like the 783 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:03,240 Speaker 1: re sens why they are actually kind of bad, like 784 00:48:03,239 --> 00:48:06,560 Speaker 1: like for like like a very sincere way, but then 785 00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:09,080 Speaker 1: also kind of point out some things that are like yeah, 786 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:10,960 Speaker 1: maybe in the see these are things we should consider 787 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:13,799 Speaker 1: and it shouldn't take this type of occupation to have 788 00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:18,440 Speaker 1: us reconsider some of these rules and regulations. Yeah, like completely, 789 00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:23,160 Speaker 1: Like I think there's no issue with having being uncomfortable 790 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:26,600 Speaker 1: with mandates, um Like, even if you feel they're necessary, 791 00:48:26,680 --> 00:48:30,440 Speaker 1: Like being uncomfortable with the amount of state power that 792 00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:35,440 Speaker 1: is being accumulated. Um. You know, in Canada, you know 793 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:37,920 Speaker 1: there have been sweeping changes to the way that we 794 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:42,120 Speaker 1: live our lives. Like I know that that's been universal. Um, 795 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,680 Speaker 1: but there there is not a province that hasn't really suffered, 796 00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:50,160 Speaker 1: like hasn't really impacted people's lives dealing with covid um. 797 00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:52,319 Speaker 1: And you know this is this is one of the 798 00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:59,399 Speaker 1: biggest issues when trying to point out disparate responses in policing. Um, well, 799 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:01,880 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, it's like, so we should treat the 800 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,319 Speaker 1: convoy participants like they treated everybody else. And it's it's 801 00:49:05,360 --> 00:49:11,080 Speaker 1: like no, Like like you know, the the police chief 802 00:49:11,239 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: of Ottawa got a lot of ship for saying he 803 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,840 Speaker 1: doesn't think there's a policing solution, and it's like, I 804 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:18,279 Speaker 1: do agree with the criticism of him because he has 805 00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:21,719 Speaker 1: attempted to kick responsibility to just about every other level 806 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:27,280 Speaker 1: of government available. Um. But dragging people out like towing 807 00:49:27,320 --> 00:49:30,160 Speaker 1: their vehicles and taking away their livelihood and dragging a 808 00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:31,960 Speaker 1: lot of people out into the street and then into 809 00:49:32,040 --> 00:49:37,760 Speaker 1: jail is not gonna resolve these issues now, and if anything, 810 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,719 Speaker 1: it could could bring more support. Like again, there was 811 00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:45,799 Speaker 1: another report today that I think it's of people who 812 00:49:45,840 --> 00:49:50,200 Speaker 1: have camped out have children with them, Like, you know, 813 00:49:50,239 --> 00:49:52,680 Speaker 1: this is gonna be an incredibly traumatic experience. It's gonna 814 00:49:52,680 --> 00:49:55,680 Speaker 1: help radicalize more people, and it's gonna lend credence to 815 00:49:55,719 --> 00:49:58,280 Speaker 1: their cause if they just go in and bust heads. 816 00:49:58,320 --> 00:50:01,560 Speaker 1: And it's like if main focus of this convoy had 817 00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:04,960 Speaker 1: been in Toronto, where we have an incredibly aggressive police 818 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:09,360 Speaker 1: force when it comes to like homeless encampments for instance. Um, 819 00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:15,880 Speaker 1: you know, I think the result could have been very different. Yeah. 820 00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:19,640 Speaker 1: And then because a lot of stuff around the question 821 00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:21,759 Speaker 1: of governments and stuff. Yeah, it's it's the type of 822 00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:25,520 Speaker 1: things that can agree with with like right wing libertarians. 823 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:28,799 Speaker 1: Is Yeah, you do have a lot of points I 824 00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:32,640 Speaker 1: can simplize with around the state and around control, but 825 00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:36,280 Speaker 1: the way you address them don't actually address the underlying 826 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:41,120 Speaker 1: power structures which give the state legitimacy in the first place. Yeah. Absolutely, 827 00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:44,319 Speaker 1: And the world that you kind of want in the 828 00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:47,160 Speaker 1: end is still a world full of hierarchies, just hierarchies 829 00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:51,200 Speaker 1: that make your life easier and skew and your favor 830 00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:55,120 Speaker 1: just like asking for two unelected bodies to reoplate replace 831 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:59,920 Speaker 1: your democratically elected government. It's like we had ten years 832 00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:04,640 Speaker 1: of Stephen Harper, like, um, people were unhappy and extremely 833 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:07,279 Speaker 1: critical of that government from the center and from the left. 834 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:11,200 Speaker 1: But you know, there wasn't this kind of broad support 835 00:51:11,239 --> 00:51:14,560 Speaker 1: for the idea that that government was illegitimate, which is 836 00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:17,440 Speaker 1: I think what we see mostly today, which is the 837 00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:20,799 Speaker 1: most disturbing and kind of anti democratic part of the 838 00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:23,000 Speaker 1: whole pot. Yeah, and that's the kind of what The 839 00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:24,480 Speaker 1: last thing I want to talk about is like, what 840 00:51:24,520 --> 00:51:27,880 Speaker 1: do you see like because eventually people will go home, 841 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:32,600 Speaker 1: either out of exhaustion, it'll maybe fizzle away, like like 842 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,680 Speaker 1: the protests in Portland did. Maybe they'll eventually police will 843 00:51:36,719 --> 00:51:39,560 Speaker 1: kind of clear out small sections, um Like wh who knows, 844 00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:44,200 Speaker 1: But like, this is not going knock one here, But 845 00:51:44,239 --> 00:51:46,840 Speaker 1: this this isn't gonna last like a year, right, It's not. 846 00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:49,279 Speaker 1: It's not gonna like that. I don't think they're gonna 847 00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:51,239 Speaker 1: have thousands of people campt out in front of the 848 00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:55,400 Speaker 1: government forever. Um. So what but what are the actual 849 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:58,440 Speaker 1: long term political ramifications of this, because we already saw 850 00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:01,360 Speaker 1: the leader of the Conservative Party step down. Um, So, 851 00:52:01,440 --> 00:52:03,640 Speaker 1: like I want to talk about like specifically with the 852 00:52:03,719 --> 00:52:06,440 Speaker 1: guy who's probably more most likely to take his place. 853 00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:09,239 Speaker 1: How this just does kind of play into the more 854 00:52:09,239 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 1: negative aspects of the convoy, is like how they're going 855 00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:14,680 Speaker 1: to use this as a political symbol and a political 856 00:52:14,680 --> 00:52:18,799 Speaker 1: tool to push for policies and forms the government and 857 00:52:18,840 --> 00:52:22,200 Speaker 1: actions that will end up hurting a lot of h 858 00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:25,040 Speaker 1: and will up hurting a lot of people. Um in 859 00:52:25,160 --> 00:52:26,600 Speaker 1: terms of you know, how how it's going to be 860 00:52:26,719 --> 00:52:30,000 Speaker 1: used in propaganda and rhetoric. Yeah, well, certainly if we 861 00:52:30,120 --> 00:52:35,200 Speaker 1: have um, you know, strong legal ramifications put in place 862 00:52:35,480 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 1: that make it easier for provinces, the federal government whatever 863 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:44,919 Speaker 1: to crackdown on on protests in general, which I think 864 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:48,960 Speaker 1: is something that might be very attractive to our current government. Um. 865 00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:52,320 Speaker 1: You know that's going to have obviously very far reaching effects. 866 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:55,400 Speaker 1: You know, one of our opposition parties, um, which is 867 00:52:56,040 --> 00:52:58,880 Speaker 1: you know, generally further to the left then than the Liberals, 868 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:02,040 Speaker 1: the n d P UM, their leader was proposing ways 869 00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:05,520 Speaker 1: to stop foreign funding from coming in to supply to 870 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:09,839 Speaker 1: the protests. Um. You know, once again, we we had 871 00:53:09,840 --> 00:53:13,400 Speaker 1: protests a couple of years ago by indigenous people and 872 00:53:13,440 --> 00:53:18,880 Speaker 1: people who support indigenous movements. Um. You know that that 873 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:21,640 Speaker 1: raised money using the same platforms and the same methods. 874 00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:24,759 Speaker 1: You know, So I worry about like one of the 875 00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:29,440 Speaker 1: legal ramifications like to just this this idea, like if 876 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:31,880 Speaker 1: the government does crack down very hard, this idea of 877 00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:34,520 Speaker 1: real grievance and alienation that the West has already been 878 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:37,960 Speaker 1: struggling with. Like we've had a real renewed separatist movement, 879 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:41,600 Speaker 1: not from Quebec um where it's generally been the most successful, 880 00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:46,480 Speaker 1: but from the Western provinces, you know, not not really 881 00:53:46,520 --> 00:53:50,600 Speaker 1: getting close to obtaining any real political power, but you know, 882 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:54,440 Speaker 1: kind of steadily gaining support, pulling a showing that you know, 883 00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:58,279 Speaker 1: there is a real feeling of Western alienation, that they 884 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:00,520 Speaker 1: don't feel represented, and you know a lot of the 885 00:54:00,520 --> 00:54:07,320 Speaker 1: ways our government are set up actually makes that true. Um. Yeah, Ultimately, 886 00:54:07,320 --> 00:54:11,640 Speaker 1: as people I think become more and more disenfranchised, Um, 887 00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:17,840 Speaker 1: when government action begins to kind of justify imagined ideas 888 00:54:17,840 --> 00:54:21,799 Speaker 1: of oppression, um, you're gonna have a real hardening. And 889 00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:25,319 Speaker 1: since the government in power is a progressive one is 890 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:29,120 Speaker 1: or at least one that espouses you know, tries tries 891 00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:32,480 Speaker 1: to reach for progressive values, you know, there's a good 892 00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:34,799 Speaker 1: chance that those issues are gonna get caught up with 893 00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:39,320 Speaker 1: what is just like a quote unquote leftist agenda, whereas 894 00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:42,920 Speaker 1: up until probably a decade ago, those things were very 895 00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:46,399 Speaker 1: much seen as kind of inherent Canadian values that were 896 00:54:46,400 --> 00:54:51,680 Speaker 1: embraced by both sides. UM. The current candidate for leadership, 897 00:54:51,719 --> 00:54:54,680 Speaker 1: he hasn't been he hasn't won the seat in the 898 00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:57,839 Speaker 1: the Conservative Party yet. But Pierre Pouliver has kind of 899 00:54:57,880 --> 00:55:03,080 Speaker 1: always flirted to some agree with UM far right talking 900 00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:06,440 Speaker 1: points like I don't I specialize in hey groups, I 901 00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:10,399 Speaker 1: don't want to make too many pronouncements about mainstream conservatism. UM. 902 00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:13,160 Speaker 1: But even by kind of members of the very far 903 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:16,200 Speaker 1: right who often have turned against the Conservative Party over 904 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:18,920 Speaker 1: the course of the pandemic, He's often referred to as 905 00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:23,799 Speaker 1: the adult in the room. UM. And while still a politician, 906 00:55:24,560 --> 00:55:27,520 Speaker 1: kind of their best bet for getting someone in office 907 00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:30,640 Speaker 1: that they would actually like to see in power. UM, 908 00:55:30,680 --> 00:55:32,920 Speaker 1: which could I mean could be interesting to see how 909 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:37,160 Speaker 1: they if they will be continued support for the PPC 910 00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:42,000 Speaker 1: and two to four years. UM. But yeah, I just 911 00:55:42,040 --> 00:55:44,960 Speaker 1: think there there is a real hardening of the right. 912 00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:48,759 Speaker 1: And it's not like the Overton windows shifting. It's just 913 00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:51,680 Speaker 1: like it's getting wider, like more and more is being 914 00:55:51,719 --> 00:55:54,840 Speaker 1: incorporated as opposed to be just going in one direction 915 00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:59,359 Speaker 1: or another. That disenfranchisement is a driving factor. Like they 916 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:04,200 Speaker 1: view this populist kind of uprising or up swelling um 917 00:56:04,280 --> 00:56:07,840 Speaker 1: that they're seeing now as a function of democracy or 918 00:56:07,880 --> 00:56:12,080 Speaker 1: like part of how democracy is supposed to function. So again, 919 00:56:12,120 --> 00:56:14,120 Speaker 1: like if if you talk to them, they will quite 920 00:56:14,160 --> 00:56:17,120 Speaker 1: earnestly say many of them anyway, we'll quite earnestly say 921 00:56:17,120 --> 00:56:19,239 Speaker 1: it like this is about freedom, is about having my 922 00:56:19,320 --> 00:56:24,280 Speaker 1: voice heard, Yeah, but without a lot of thought about 923 00:56:25,520 --> 00:56:29,400 Speaker 1: how that will actually functioned in a broader scale. I 924 00:56:29,400 --> 00:56:31,759 Speaker 1: mean that just plays into like alienation as like a 925 00:56:31,840 --> 00:56:35,560 Speaker 1: general concepts, right, Like we're so disconnected from everything about 926 00:56:35,560 --> 00:56:38,320 Speaker 1: our lives, disconnected from you know, the way we work, 927 00:56:39,120 --> 00:56:42,399 Speaker 1: disconnected from our interactions with other people, were disconnected from 928 00:56:42,400 --> 00:56:44,920 Speaker 1: like you know, money, our food, you know, it's all 929 00:56:44,920 --> 00:56:47,600 Speaker 1: the stuff, and like disconnected from politics. Is that the 930 00:56:47,680 --> 00:56:50,439 Speaker 1: only way that you can actually something that feels real, 931 00:56:50,880 --> 00:56:53,480 Speaker 1: the only thing that actually feels like reality, is going 932 00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:55,840 Speaker 1: to do this thing in person because everything else is 933 00:56:55,880 --> 00:57:00,160 Speaker 1: so disjointed. Um, it's the there is so much that 934 00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 1: space in between the phenomenon and the actual thing that is, 935 00:57:05,520 --> 00:57:07,880 Speaker 1: it leaves you wanting something, but you don't know quite what. 936 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:09,960 Speaker 1: So yeah, you're going to drive to Ottawa because that 937 00:57:09,960 --> 00:57:12,520 Speaker 1: feels so much more real. That feels like actual politics, 938 00:57:12,680 --> 00:57:15,439 Speaker 1: and it kind of it's like that's like, that's that's 939 00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:17,600 Speaker 1: that's always when it feels like when you're when you're 940 00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:19,720 Speaker 1: like when you're when you're protesting, it's like, yeah, I'm 941 00:57:19,720 --> 00:57:24,000 Speaker 1: actually doing politics now, because that's how everything gets set up, 942 00:57:24,080 --> 00:57:26,760 Speaker 1: is by that type of like you know, getting people 943 00:57:26,800 --> 00:57:29,600 Speaker 1: on the ground, and it's it's such a more personal 944 00:57:29,640 --> 00:57:33,120 Speaker 1: way to engage than you know, putting a no into 945 00:57:33,120 --> 00:57:35,760 Speaker 1: a box every two to four years. Like yeah, I 946 00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:39,360 Speaker 1: I imagine it does feel substantive. And then I mean, 947 00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:42,360 Speaker 1: voting power is centered in our urban centers as well, 948 00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:45,760 Speaker 1: so there is there is a real disconnect with the 949 00:57:45,800 --> 00:57:51,280 Speaker 1: representation that that rural people again Western the Western provinces received. 950 00:58:01,600 --> 00:58:04,920 Speaker 1: I now want to specifically talk about police response and 951 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:08,320 Speaker 1: the way that this occupation and blockades being handled will 952 00:58:08,360 --> 00:58:12,480 Speaker 1: affect the political organizing in the future. I think initially 953 00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:15,360 Speaker 1: the majority of police concerns and what they were actually 954 00:58:15,360 --> 00:58:20,040 Speaker 1: focused on responding to was fears around the convoy storming parliament, 955 00:58:20,240 --> 00:58:23,600 Speaker 1: or if the convoys were going to do something exceedingly violent, 956 00:58:24,280 --> 00:58:28,000 Speaker 1: which I don't think was necessarily the convoys actionable objective 957 00:58:28,040 --> 00:58:30,360 Speaker 1: from the beginning, if you listen to what they were 958 00:58:30,400 --> 00:58:33,480 Speaker 1: actually saying, it will it was more about choking out 959 00:58:33,480 --> 00:58:36,720 Speaker 1: the city and applying pressure on government officials. But the 960 00:58:36,760 --> 00:58:39,960 Speaker 1: initial non violence, coupled with the shield of being conservative, 961 00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:42,440 Speaker 1: white and middle class whom you know the police are 962 00:58:42,520 --> 00:58:45,480 Speaker 1: less likely to react as brutally to allowed time for 963 00:58:45,520 --> 00:58:48,760 Speaker 1: the infrastructure to rise. That let the protest turn into 964 00:58:48,840 --> 00:58:52,600 Speaker 1: a full scale occupation of a North American city. The 965 00:58:52,680 --> 00:58:56,320 Speaker 1: first real action police took against the occupation was on 966 00:58:56,360 --> 00:59:01,120 Speaker 1: the evening of Sunday, February six, demonstrators were gathering for 967 00:59:01,200 --> 00:59:04,480 Speaker 1: dinner than dozens of officers and riot gear carrying munitions 968 00:59:04,520 --> 00:59:08,560 Speaker 1: launchers raided a camp after footage of stockpiles and gas 969 00:59:08,600 --> 00:59:12,439 Speaker 1: cans went viral days previous, in an attempt to cut 970 00:59:12,480 --> 00:59:15,880 Speaker 1: the supply route. Police say they seized around three thousand 971 00:59:15,920 --> 00:59:19,680 Speaker 1: and seven hundred liters of fuel and two vehicles, including 972 00:59:19,720 --> 00:59:23,600 Speaker 1: a diesel tank, but within hours of the raid, protesters 973 00:59:23,600 --> 00:59:27,120 Speaker 1: from the camp broadcast reassurance to their supporters and continue 974 00:59:27,160 --> 00:59:31,560 Speaker 1: to organize just googlizing smarter tactics. The day after the 975 00:59:31,600 --> 00:59:36,000 Speaker 1: police raid, protesters continued to deliver fuel to downtown truckers 976 00:59:36,040 --> 00:59:39,560 Speaker 1: as they executed a coordinated effort to exhaust police resources. 977 00:59:40,200 --> 00:59:43,640 Speaker 1: Hundreds of demonstrators carried fuel cans, some empty, some not, 978 00:59:44,120 --> 00:59:48,160 Speaker 1: just right past officers who mostly stood watched as hundreds 979 00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:51,640 Speaker 1: of people trolled them with decoy cans, while others smuggled 980 00:59:51,640 --> 00:59:54,760 Speaker 1: in more fuel within the safety of the large crowd 981 00:59:55,120 --> 00:59:58,040 Speaker 1: right in the middle of the day. Ottawa Police Deputy 982 00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:02,360 Speaker 1: Chief Steve Bell said demonstrators were filling cast cans with 983 01:00:02,400 --> 01:00:06,480 Speaker 1: water to distract officers, attempting to subvert their efforts, and 984 01:00:06,560 --> 01:00:09,200 Speaker 1: that one officer was swarmed by the crowd while trying 985 01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:13,160 Speaker 1: to confiscate fuel. To date, police have made around thirty 986 01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:16,800 Speaker 1: arrests and issued thousands of tickets, launched more than eighty 987 01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:20,959 Speaker 1: criminal investigations, and four hundred plus hate incidents are also 988 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:25,080 Speaker 1: being investigated. Earlier this week, Peter Slowly said that the 989 01:00:25,120 --> 01:00:27,560 Speaker 1: force would turn up the heat as the police started 990 01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:31,040 Speaker 1: to crack down on anyone bringing material aid such as fuel, 991 01:00:31,280 --> 01:00:35,320 Speaker 1: to protesters. Police dismantled a protest camp near the Redeau 992 01:00:35,400 --> 01:00:39,360 Speaker 1: Canal downtown and a fuel operation on the Coventry Road 993 01:00:39,640 --> 01:00:43,080 Speaker 1: east of the Core, but some trucks and demonstrators continued 994 01:00:43,120 --> 01:00:48,440 Speaker 1: to occupy downtown streets and the staging area on Coventry. 995 01:00:48,800 --> 01:00:52,280 Speaker 1: Police say that they need an additional eighteen hundred more 996 01:00:52,400 --> 01:00:57,080 Speaker 1: reinforcements from federal and provincial governments to help end the crisis. 997 01:00:57,760 --> 01:01:00,920 Speaker 1: The entire Ottawa Police force numbers on the twelve hundred, 998 01:01:01,160 --> 01:01:03,840 Speaker 1: but it's been supplemented with several hundred officers from the 999 01:01:03,880 --> 01:01:07,919 Speaker 1: Ontario Provisional Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as 1000 01:01:07,920 --> 01:01:11,400 Speaker 1: well as local police forces elsewhere in Ontario over the 1001 01:01:11,440 --> 01:01:15,040 Speaker 1: past few weeks. Near the end of the second week 1002 01:01:15,080 --> 01:01:19,000 Speaker 1: of occupation, dug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, declared a 1003 01:01:19,040 --> 01:01:22,840 Speaker 1: state of emergency for the entire province, warning protesters demanding 1004 01:01:22,880 --> 01:01:25,920 Speaker 1: an end to pandemic restrictions that if they do not disband, 1005 01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:29,640 Speaker 1: there will be consequences and they will be severe. He 1006 01:01:29,720 --> 01:01:32,040 Speaker 1: said that those who continue to impede the movement of 1007 01:01:32,120 --> 01:01:34,440 Speaker 1: people and goods could face fines of up to one 1008 01:01:34,480 --> 01:01:37,520 Speaker 1: hundred thousand Canadian dollars, up to a year in prison, 1009 01:01:37,840 --> 01:01:42,000 Speaker 1: and the revocation of their driver's license. During the cold 1010 01:01:42,080 --> 01:01:46,720 Speaker 1: morning of Sunday, February, police largely cleared the portion of 1011 01:01:46,760 --> 01:01:50,360 Speaker 1: the self styled freedom of convoy blocking the Ambassador Bridge 1012 01:01:50,480 --> 01:01:54,520 Speaker 1: US Canada border crossing on the road between Windsor, Ontario, 1013 01:01:54,640 --> 01:01:58,440 Speaker 1: and Detroit. The clearing marked a week since the border 1014 01:01:58,480 --> 01:02:03,200 Speaker 1: blockade had begun. Police made several arrests and towed vehicles 1015 01:02:03,200 --> 01:02:06,280 Speaker 1: in connection to the demonstration that had disrupted traffic and 1016 01:02:06,320 --> 01:02:09,560 Speaker 1: the flow of goods after law enforcement enforced the injunction 1017 01:02:09,680 --> 01:02:12,520 Speaker 1: enacted two days prior, ordering truckers and our supporters to 1018 01:02:12,640 --> 01:02:16,400 Speaker 1: leave anticketed and towed vehicles. A defined core of some 1019 01:02:16,440 --> 01:02:20,480 Speaker 1: two dozen protesters had remained on foot as temperatures dropped 1020 01:02:20,520 --> 01:02:24,200 Speaker 1: below freezing, but around nine thirty local time, police had 1021 01:02:24,200 --> 01:02:27,120 Speaker 1: mostly cleared the streets to the bridge and were deployed 1022 01:02:27,120 --> 01:02:30,920 Speaker 1: around the area. It was unclear, however, how large police 1023 01:02:30,920 --> 01:02:35,800 Speaker 1: presents would remain to prevent vehicles and demonstrators from returning there. Meanwhile, 1024 01:02:35,880 --> 01:02:38,760 Speaker 1: in the capital of Ottawa, police grappled with an influx 1025 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:42,040 Speaker 1: of anti government and anti vaccine mandate demonstrators for a 1026 01:02:42,160 --> 01:02:46,640 Speaker 1: third straight weekend. Despite both local and provincial officials declaring 1027 01:02:46,680 --> 01:02:50,480 Speaker 1: states of emergency, law enforcement appeared to be unsuccessful in 1028 01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:54,080 Speaker 1: attempts to get the Freedom Convoy protesters to leave by 1029 01:02:54,120 --> 01:02:57,800 Speaker 1: threatening them with fines, prison time, and loss of their licenses. 1030 01:02:58,280 --> 01:03:00,680 Speaker 1: Police have not made any large or to astrupt to 1031 01:03:00,720 --> 01:03:03,280 Speaker 1: the convoys in Ottawa similar to what they did on 1032 01:03:03,320 --> 01:03:08,120 Speaker 1: Sunday in Windsor, Ontario. Ottawa Police say that over four 1033 01:03:08,200 --> 01:03:12,240 Speaker 1: thousand demonstrators were in this city throughout the day. However, 1034 01:03:12,440 --> 01:03:16,520 Speaker 1: on Monday, February fourteenth, police action was taken against the 1035 01:03:16,520 --> 01:03:19,560 Speaker 1: blockade at the Coots border crossing that had shut down 1036 01:03:19,640 --> 01:03:23,600 Speaker 1: cross border travel for almost three weeks. The RCNP said 1037 01:03:23,600 --> 01:03:25,840 Speaker 1: in a press release early Monday morning that they became 1038 01:03:25,880 --> 01:03:28,760 Speaker 1: aware of a small organized group within the larger protest 1039 01:03:28,800 --> 01:03:32,480 Speaker 1: at Coots, which led to eleven arrests. They say that 1040 01:03:32,520 --> 01:03:34,960 Speaker 1: they hit information that the group had access to a 1041 01:03:35,040 --> 01:03:39,000 Speaker 1: cash of firearms and ammunition in three trailers. During the raid, 1042 01:03:39,040 --> 01:03:42,960 Speaker 1: officers seized long guns, handguns, multiple sets of body armor, 1043 01:03:43,160 --> 01:03:46,840 Speaker 1: a machete, and a large commantity of ammunition and some 1044 01:03:46,920 --> 01:03:51,280 Speaker 1: high capacity magazines. Later that day, to other arrests were 1045 01:03:51,320 --> 01:03:55,240 Speaker 1: made in connection to the blockade. Following the police raid 1046 01:03:55,320 --> 01:03:58,520 Speaker 1: and the thirteen arrests, some other organizers of the protest 1047 01:03:58,680 --> 01:04:02,160 Speaker 1: said a decision was reached voluntarily to leave the Coots area. 1048 01:04:02,320 --> 01:04:06,440 Speaker 1: Around Tuesday morning. The organizers made a statement saying, quote, 1049 01:04:06,760 --> 01:04:10,320 Speaker 1: we were infiltrated by an extreme element. Our objective was 1050 01:04:10,360 --> 01:04:13,040 Speaker 1: to be here peacefully to keep that message going. We 1051 01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:16,360 Speaker 1: wanted to peacefully leave Coots and return to our families. 1052 01:04:17,440 --> 01:04:21,920 Speaker 1: As of Tuesday, both the border crossing at the Ambassador 1053 01:04:21,920 --> 01:04:24,560 Speaker 1: Bridge to Detroit and the coot Sport of entry to 1054 01:04:24,640 --> 01:04:28,439 Speaker 1: Montana are open once again. As the border opened back 1055 01:04:28,520 --> 01:04:33,080 Speaker 1: up in Coots the previous blockade, protesters and police embraced 1056 01:04:33,080 --> 01:04:38,320 Speaker 1: each other with hugs and handshakes. Meanwhile, on Monday, Prime 1057 01:04:38,320 --> 01:04:42,040 Speaker 1: Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergency's Act for the first 1058 01:04:42,080 --> 01:04:45,360 Speaker 1: time in Canadian history to give the federal government and 1059 01:04:45,480 --> 01:04:50,240 Speaker 1: police extra powers to handle the ongoing blockades and protests 1060 01:04:50,280 --> 01:04:54,880 Speaker 1: against pandemic restrictions. Here's how the measures were taking today 1061 01:04:55,080 --> 01:04:59,280 Speaker 1: will help get the situation under control. The police will 1062 01:04:59,280 --> 01:05:03,200 Speaker 1: be given more tools to restore order in places where 1063 01:05:03,200 --> 01:05:08,200 Speaker 1: public assemblies can constitute illegal and dangerous activities, such as 1064 01:05:08,280 --> 01:05:12,680 Speaker 1: blockades and occupations as seen in Ottawa, the Ambassador Bridge 1065 01:05:13,080 --> 01:05:18,680 Speaker 1: and elsewhere. These tools include strengthening their ability to impose 1066 01:05:18,800 --> 01:05:25,720 Speaker 1: fines or imprisonment. The government will designate secure and protect 1067 01:05:26,040 --> 01:05:29,960 Speaker 1: places and infrastructure that are critical to our economy and 1068 01:05:30,160 --> 01:05:36,560 Speaker 1: people's jobs, including border crossings and airports. We cannot and 1069 01:05:36,720 --> 01:05:43,520 Speaker 1: will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue. The 1070 01:05:43,560 --> 01:05:47,280 Speaker 1: Emergencies Act will also allow the government to make sure 1071 01:05:47,400 --> 01:05:51,080 Speaker 1: essential services are rendered, for example, in order to tow 1072 01:05:51,280 --> 01:05:58,640 Speaker 1: vehicles blocking roads. In addition, financial institutions will be authorized 1073 01:05:58,800 --> 01:06:02,840 Speaker 1: or directed to rent under essential services to help address 1074 01:06:02,920 --> 01:06:07,480 Speaker 1: the situation, including by regulating and prohibiting the use of 1075 01:06:07,560 --> 01:06:14,520 Speaker 1: property to fund or support illegal blockades. Finally, will enable 1076 01:06:14,680 --> 01:06:19,600 Speaker 1: the RCMP to enforce municipal by laws and provincial offenses 1077 01:06:20,280 --> 01:06:26,800 Speaker 1: were required. This is what the Emergencies Act does. The 1078 01:06:26,840 --> 01:06:30,360 Speaker 1: Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in the 1079 01:06:30,480 --> 01:06:35,080 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, defines a national emergency as a temporary, urgent, 1080 01:06:35,200 --> 01:06:39,320 Speaker 1: and critical situation that seriously endangers the lives, health, or 1081 01:06:39,400 --> 01:06:43,000 Speaker 1: safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature 1082 01:06:43,320 --> 01:06:46,960 Speaker 1: as to extend the capacity of authority of a province 1083 01:06:47,040 --> 01:06:50,880 Speaker 1: to deal with it. The unprecedented deployment of the Emergencies 1084 01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:54,200 Speaker 1: Act gives police quote more tools to restore order in 1085 01:06:54,240 --> 01:06:57,760 Speaker 1: places where public assembly is constitute illegal and dangerous activities 1086 01:06:57,920 --> 01:07:02,400 Speaker 1: such as blockades and occupations, according to Trudeau, but the 1087 01:07:02,480 --> 01:07:05,880 Speaker 1: thing is police already had all the tools they needed. 1088 01:07:06,200 --> 01:07:09,640 Speaker 1: The illegal occupations and blockades were already illegal, they just 1089 01:07:09,680 --> 01:07:12,720 Speaker 1: didn't want to enforce it. You can look at how 1090 01:07:12,880 --> 01:07:16,240 Speaker 1: the coots, protesters and the police are hugging right. This 1091 01:07:16,280 --> 01:07:19,360 Speaker 1: isn't a matter of having not enough tools. All this 1092 01:07:19,480 --> 01:07:23,040 Speaker 1: does is set a terrible precedent for using this type 1093 01:07:23,040 --> 01:07:26,040 Speaker 1: of extra power in the future to respond to protests, 1094 01:07:26,240 --> 01:07:28,840 Speaker 1: because the cops are still going to take a very 1095 01:07:28,880 --> 01:07:31,760 Speaker 1: gentle approach if they ever are forced to take physical 1096 01:07:31,800 --> 01:07:35,760 Speaker 1: action against the Ottawa occupation while using the extra powers 1097 01:07:35,840 --> 01:07:39,320 Speaker 1: of the Emergencies Act. The Finance Minister of Canada also 1098 01:07:39,360 --> 01:07:43,120 Speaker 1: announced on Monday a broadening of the laws regarding financing 1099 01:07:43,200 --> 01:07:48,200 Speaker 1: of crime and terrorism to now include crowdfunding and also 1100 01:07:48,320 --> 01:07:51,400 Speaker 1: extra surveillance measures against people who donate and use crowd 1101 01:07:51,480 --> 01:07:56,440 Speaker 1: funds for criminal acts, including illegal protests. As part of 1102 01:07:56,480 --> 01:08:03,280 Speaker 1: invoking the Emergencies Act, we are announcing the following immediate actions. First, 1103 01:08:03,800 --> 01:08:07,040 Speaker 1: we are broadening the scope of Canada's anti money lauder 1104 01:08:07,360 --> 01:08:13,000 Speaker 1: laundering and terrorist financing rules so that they cover crowdfunding 1105 01:08:13,080 --> 01:08:18,759 Speaker 1: platforms and the payment service providers they use. These changes 1106 01:08:18,880 --> 01:08:26,080 Speaker 1: cover all forms of transactions, including digital assets such as cryptocurrencies. 1107 01:08:27,280 --> 01:08:31,960 Speaker 1: The illegal blockades have highlighted the fact that crowdfunding platforms 1108 01:08:32,560 --> 01:08:36,439 Speaker 1: and some of the payment service providers they use are 1109 01:08:36,560 --> 01:08:40,599 Speaker 1: not fully captured under the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist 1110 01:08:40,680 --> 01:08:46,400 Speaker 1: Financing Act. Our banks and financial institutions are already obligated 1111 01:08:46,520 --> 01:08:51,120 Speaker 1: to report to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center 1112 01:08:51,280 --> 01:08:58,200 Speaker 1: of Canada or FINTRACK. As of today, all crowdfunding platforms 1113 01:08:58,680 --> 01:09:03,200 Speaker 1: and the payment service providers they use must register with 1114 01:09:03,240 --> 01:09:10,240 Speaker 1: fintrack and they must report large and suspicious transactions to fintrack. 1115 01:09:12,080 --> 01:09:16,400 Speaker 1: This will help mitigate the risk that these platforms receive 1116 01:09:16,680 --> 01:09:22,760 Speaker 1: illicit funds, increase the quality and quantity of intelligence received 1117 01:09:22,760 --> 01:09:29,000 Speaker 1: by fintrack, and make more information available to support investigations 1118 01:09:29,040 --> 01:09:34,040 Speaker 1: by law enforcement into these illegal blockades. That's kind of 1119 01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:36,600 Speaker 1: all the information I have at the time of recording. 1120 01:09:36,840 --> 01:09:39,440 Speaker 1: So now I'm going to talk more about the potential 1121 01:09:39,520 --> 01:09:42,879 Speaker 1: political effects that this protest could have, not just on Canada, 1122 01:09:43,280 --> 01:09:46,840 Speaker 1: but also in how we view protest in general. So 1123 01:09:47,320 --> 01:09:50,599 Speaker 1: the actual result of liberal media framing this type of 1124 01:09:50,640 --> 01:09:55,719 Speaker 1: protest as scary terrorism is laying the groundwork for brutal 1125 01:09:55,800 --> 01:10:01,480 Speaker 1: police actions against massive, mostly non violent, intact smart protests 1126 01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:06,240 Speaker 1: to be more normalized across Canada. An extremely brutal police 1127 01:10:06,240 --> 01:10:09,759 Speaker 1: response and harsh charges are unlikely to be leveled against 1128 01:10:09,760 --> 01:10:13,640 Speaker 1: a protest made up of these conservatives, but will absolutely 1129 01:10:13,680 --> 01:10:17,519 Speaker 1: happen to any future progressive social justice cause, especially if 1130 01:10:17,520 --> 01:10:22,080 Speaker 1: they use occupy style tactics. The more powers police obtain 1131 01:10:22,560 --> 01:10:24,960 Speaker 1: and the legal precedents that are set well of long 1132 01:10:25,080 --> 01:10:28,760 Speaker 1: lasting implications with legal consequences that will always come down 1133 01:10:28,840 --> 01:10:31,000 Speaker 1: harder on the left than they do on the right. 1134 01:10:31,640 --> 01:10:35,280 Speaker 1: Police will do a bare minimum to resolve this conservative 1135 01:10:35,400 --> 01:10:38,800 Speaker 1: so called freedom protest, but then we'll use it as 1136 01:10:38,800 --> 01:10:42,760 Speaker 1: a justification to grab greater resources and power and use 1137 01:10:42,840 --> 01:10:47,799 Speaker 1: this movement to justify severe preventative protest suppression in the future. 1138 01:10:48,680 --> 01:10:52,520 Speaker 1: If liberals can widely celebrate and thirst for harsh crackdowns 1139 01:10:52,520 --> 01:10:56,080 Speaker 1: of a protest made up of white conservatives and their families, 1140 01:10:56,439 --> 01:11:00,200 Speaker 1: calling the entire movement a criminal enterprise, and cheering as 1141 01:11:00,200 --> 01:11:03,639 Speaker 1: police steal property of the protesters despite what the majority 1142 01:11:03,680 --> 01:11:06,599 Speaker 1: of these protesters are doing, just being kind of camping 1143 01:11:06,640 --> 01:11:08,800 Speaker 1: on side of a street. Think of all of the 1144 01:11:08,840 --> 01:11:11,960 Speaker 1: ways that consent can be manufactured to clamp down on 1145 01:11:12,120 --> 01:11:16,599 Speaker 1: any future large scale protest, especially when the movement isn't 1146 01:11:16,640 --> 01:11:18,760 Speaker 1: made up of a bunch of regular white people and 1147 01:11:18,800 --> 01:11:22,200 Speaker 1: their kids, and instead of actually challenges the underlying power 1148 01:11:22,200 --> 01:11:25,840 Speaker 1: structures that prop up White Canada, instead of just reinforcing it, 1149 01:11:25,960 --> 01:11:29,439 Speaker 1: like the convoy does. I have a similar issue around 1150 01:11:29,439 --> 01:11:33,360 Speaker 1: all of the hubbub around the fundraisers right. Restricting where 1151 01:11:33,400 --> 01:11:37,479 Speaker 1: crowdfunded resources can come from will only result in future 1152 01:11:37,479 --> 01:11:41,920 Speaker 1: political social justice causes to be negatively impacted, whether that 1153 01:11:42,000 --> 01:11:45,920 Speaker 1: be bail funds or supporting indigenous blockades from out of country. 1154 01:11:46,360 --> 01:11:50,040 Speaker 1: On February ten, the Canadian federal government effectively shut down 1155 01:11:50,200 --> 01:11:54,519 Speaker 1: the Freedom Convoys Gives end Go fundraiser, making it illegal 1156 01:11:54,600 --> 01:11:57,479 Speaker 1: for the funds to be used in any way. Government's 1157 01:11:57,520 --> 01:12:00,640 Speaker 1: setting the precedent for shutting down a protest crowdfunding is 1158 01:12:00,640 --> 01:12:03,800 Speaker 1: not a good thing now. Any future of protest bail 1159 01:12:03,840 --> 01:12:06,760 Speaker 1: funds and crowdfunding for the West set in blockade will 1160 01:12:06,880 --> 01:12:10,200 Speaker 1: always be in jeopardy, and by no means saying that 1161 01:12:10,280 --> 01:12:15,040 Speaker 1: action against a generally hateful, anti democratic, and dangerously conspiratorial 1162 01:12:15,080 --> 01:12:19,559 Speaker 1: protest isn't justified, but just when governments start using it 1163 01:12:19,640 --> 01:12:24,000 Speaker 1: as reasons for more power and creating new precedents for 1164 01:12:24,320 --> 01:12:26,960 Speaker 1: years in jail and hundreds of thousands of dollars and 1165 01:12:27,040 --> 01:12:30,960 Speaker 1: fines for an occupation. Protest like that shouldn't be cheered 1166 01:12:31,000 --> 01:12:33,840 Speaker 1: on because those things will only come back to bite 1167 01:12:33,840 --> 01:12:36,840 Speaker 1: progressive causes a lot harder than they will be used 1168 01:12:36,880 --> 01:12:41,519 Speaker 1: against the conservative convoyers. There has increasingly been attempts at 1169 01:12:41,600 --> 01:12:45,679 Speaker 1: counter protesting the Ottawa Convoy and the various Convoy inspired 1170 01:12:45,680 --> 01:12:49,000 Speaker 1: protests around the country, many of which faced harsher police 1171 01:12:49,000 --> 01:12:52,000 Speaker 1: response than any of the convey protests have up until 1172 01:12:52,000 --> 01:12:56,519 Speaker 1: this point, but those community led counterprotesting efforts are vital. 1173 01:12:57,000 --> 01:13:01,120 Speaker 1: The ram Ranch resistance actions are still ongoing. On Sunday night, 1174 01:13:01,240 --> 01:13:03,680 Speaker 1: the u r L for the Gifts End Go fundraiser 1175 01:13:03,960 --> 01:13:06,680 Speaker 1: was hacked by activists who redirected the page to a 1176 01:13:06,800 --> 01:13:10,200 Speaker 1: video of the frozen song let It Go, accompanying a 1177 01:13:10,240 --> 01:13:14,519 Speaker 1: manifesto condemning the fundraiser and the Convoy. And that's great, 1178 01:13:14,560 --> 01:13:17,760 Speaker 1: and that is wonderful counter protesting. That is very in 1179 01:13:17,840 --> 01:13:21,000 Speaker 1: terms of effective ways to shut down fundraising efforts for 1180 01:13:21,520 --> 01:13:27,120 Speaker 1: basically pseudo fascist, you know, anti anti democratic, conspiracy led movement. 1181 01:13:27,960 --> 01:13:30,880 Speaker 1: That's great, right, And this was hours after it was 1182 01:13:30,920 --> 01:13:34,240 Speaker 1: officially confirmed to via data leaks that around fifty percent 1183 01:13:34,400 --> 01:13:37,120 Speaker 1: of gives send go donations for the convoy came from 1184 01:13:37,160 --> 01:13:41,120 Speaker 1: the United States, around came from Canada, and then two 1185 01:13:41,120 --> 01:13:44,080 Speaker 1: percent came from the UK, although I think it's worth 1186 01:13:44,120 --> 01:13:47,240 Speaker 1: mentioning that for the initial ten million dollar go fund 1187 01:13:47,280 --> 01:13:50,840 Speaker 1: me we only have confirmation that around thirty three thousand 1188 01:13:50,880 --> 01:13:54,320 Speaker 1: dollars came from the United States. To understand how the 1189 01:13:54,360 --> 01:13:58,360 Speaker 1: convoy flash blockade is working, it's useful to get away 1190 01:13:58,400 --> 01:14:03,280 Speaker 1: from painting all the participupends themselves as extremists, because the 1191 01:14:03,320 --> 01:14:06,360 Speaker 1: fact that regular Canadian right wingers are what's making this 1192 01:14:06,479 --> 01:14:09,759 Speaker 1: possible has a whole bunch of other implications that people 1193 01:14:09,800 --> 01:14:13,200 Speaker 1: aren't really talking about. I'm seeing a lot of Canadians 1194 01:14:13,200 --> 01:14:16,040 Speaker 1: who are just really upset about how the convoys affecting 1195 01:14:16,040 --> 01:14:19,880 Speaker 1: cities and the country as a whole, which, you know, reasonable, 1196 01:14:20,000 --> 01:14:22,439 Speaker 1: I am, it is a thing to be upset about. 1197 01:14:22,720 --> 01:14:26,000 Speaker 1: But then just jumping to insist that it must be inorganic, 1198 01:14:26,400 --> 01:14:30,000 Speaker 1: I think is kind of faulty. Focusing instead on theories 1199 01:14:30,040 --> 01:14:34,240 Speaker 1: around foreign influences and ashotype organizing, elements of which have 1200 01:14:34,400 --> 01:14:37,640 Speaker 1: been present, sure, but also the impact in which is 1201 01:14:37,680 --> 01:14:40,320 Speaker 1: I think kind of been overblown. But even if those 1202 01:14:40,360 --> 01:14:44,760 Speaker 1: things are completely true and major factors, that still overlooks 1203 01:14:44,760 --> 01:14:48,000 Speaker 1: the fact that there are thousands of real Canadians from 1204 01:14:48,000 --> 01:14:51,719 Speaker 1: around the country camped up in Ottawa, and the majority 1205 01:14:51,760 --> 01:14:54,719 Speaker 1: of those Canadians sitting in the streets are not Nazis 1206 01:14:54,880 --> 01:14:58,280 Speaker 1: right or really even extremists, and most of those people 1207 01:14:58,360 --> 01:15:02,479 Speaker 1: are not receiving personal funding from dark money billionaires. They 1208 01:15:02,520 --> 01:15:07,240 Speaker 1: consider themselves regular, working class, freedom loving Canadians. It's much 1209 01:15:07,280 --> 01:15:11,280 Speaker 1: harder to reconcile a homegrown movement full of participants that 1210 01:15:11,320 --> 01:15:13,200 Speaker 1: have slid further to the right over the past two 1211 01:15:13,280 --> 01:15:17,120 Speaker 1: years due to rampant online misinformation coupled with ineffectual government 1212 01:15:17,200 --> 01:15:20,720 Speaker 1: support during the pandemic. It's easy to point to so 1213 01:15:20,800 --> 01:15:25,200 Speaker 1: called organizers who are definitely more fashion, large scale sketchy donations, 1214 01:15:25,439 --> 01:15:27,599 Speaker 1: and far right media figures who are trying to jump 1215 01:15:27,720 --> 01:15:31,719 Speaker 1: support for the convoy. But those things alone don't get 1216 01:15:31,760 --> 01:15:34,599 Speaker 1: many of thousands and thousands of people and their kids 1217 01:15:34,800 --> 01:15:37,759 Speaker 1: to drive across country for a cause that they earnestly believe. 1218 01:15:37,800 --> 01:15:42,599 Speaker 1: In the years of political alienation and disenfrantisement that caused 1219 01:15:42,600 --> 01:15:45,200 Speaker 1: that to happen is a lot harder to solve than 1220 01:15:45,200 --> 01:15:50,480 Speaker 1: just cracking down on organizers and donations. Watching homegrown reactionary 1221 01:15:50,479 --> 01:15:53,799 Speaker 1: street politics that one day can grow into an actual 1222 01:15:53,880 --> 01:15:57,280 Speaker 1: far right, populist and fascist movement is a lot more 1223 01:15:57,320 --> 01:16:01,920 Speaker 1: frightening than the idea of overseas astroturft organizing. Not that 1224 01:16:01,960 --> 01:16:04,439 Speaker 1: those things are mutually exclusive always, but I'm just trying 1225 01:16:04,479 --> 01:16:07,720 Speaker 1: to make a good point here, despite cries to make 1226 01:16:07,800 --> 01:16:11,600 Speaker 1: this Canada's January six, in a way, the Convoy is 1227 01:16:11,600 --> 01:16:14,560 Speaker 1: more effective the January six in terms of the evolution 1228 01:16:14,960 --> 01:16:18,560 Speaker 1: of valid political action. It's pushed the boundary on what 1229 01:16:18,720 --> 01:16:22,040 Speaker 1: is deemed as acceptable and even possible for large scale 1230 01:16:22,080 --> 01:16:26,200 Speaker 1: occupations and supply line blockades in the major North American 1231 01:16:26,439 --> 01:16:31,000 Speaker 1: urban setting. People who would never consider themselves militant are 1232 01:16:31,040 --> 01:16:35,479 Speaker 1: now involved in multiple border crossing blockades. That's cost hundreds 1233 01:16:35,520 --> 01:16:37,759 Speaker 1: of millions of dollars. And to get to this point, 1234 01:16:38,240 --> 01:16:42,320 Speaker 1: so many things need to happen. COVID isolation offered fertile 1235 01:16:42,360 --> 01:16:45,280 Speaker 1: ground for people's politics to unknowing these slide more to 1236 01:16:45,360 --> 01:16:48,559 Speaker 1: the extreme. The many in person connections that help prevent 1237 01:16:48,600 --> 01:16:52,240 Speaker 1: people from falling prey to conspiratorial thinking ceased to exist. 1238 01:16:52,880 --> 01:16:56,800 Speaker 1: General frustration at Trudeau and the perceived notion of liberalism 1239 01:16:56,800 --> 01:17:00,920 Speaker 1: and elitism has been steadily growing since, and all that 1240 01:17:01,000 --> 01:17:04,839 Speaker 1: mounted up frustration is now being released, and as a result, 1241 01:17:04,920 --> 01:17:09,040 Speaker 1: the invisible Overton window of acceptable political action has shifted 1242 01:17:09,160 --> 01:17:13,479 Speaker 1: right in regular conservatives minds, and a movement like this 1243 01:17:14,040 --> 01:17:17,240 Speaker 1: is hard to dissolve. Police actions have the chance of 1244 01:17:17,400 --> 01:17:22,040 Speaker 1: escalating the situation and elongating people's willingness to protest, and 1245 01:17:22,120 --> 01:17:25,200 Speaker 1: even if more mandates get removed, that doesn't mean the 1246 01:17:25,200 --> 01:17:28,840 Speaker 1: protests will stop either. Removing the Alberta mandates didn't stop 1247 01:17:28,880 --> 01:17:32,080 Speaker 1: the Coots border blockade, for instance, because you know, even 1248 01:17:32,160 --> 01:17:35,040 Speaker 1: if all the mandates in Canada get rescinded, which which 1249 01:17:35,120 --> 01:17:38,080 Speaker 1: they won't and whish they shouldn't, But even if they did, 1250 01:17:38,479 --> 01:17:41,720 Speaker 1: that would still leave the US's Vaccine Board requirements which 1251 01:17:41,720 --> 01:17:45,160 Speaker 1: are preventing on vaccinated truckers from entering the States anyway. 1252 01:17:45,880 --> 01:17:49,680 Speaker 1: Similar tactics and protests inspired by the Canadian convoy have 1253 01:17:49,840 --> 01:17:53,880 Speaker 1: broken out overseas in recent weeks. The convoy en blocking 1254 01:17:53,880 --> 01:17:57,160 Speaker 1: inspired protests in New Zealand have led to frequent clashes 1255 01:17:57,200 --> 01:18:00,240 Speaker 1: with police outside New Zealand's Parliament building for the past 1256 01:18:00,320 --> 01:18:04,280 Speaker 1: two weeks. French protesters formed their own Freedom Convoy against 1257 01:18:04,280 --> 01:18:08,280 Speaker 1: the government's vaccine mandates. The convoy converged on the Shan's 1258 01:18:08,280 --> 01:18:12,200 Speaker 1: Aliza in Paris on February second, where protesters were met 1259 01:18:12,360 --> 01:18:16,960 Speaker 1: by seven thousand police members and tear gas. Unlike Canada, 1260 01:18:17,000 --> 01:18:19,600 Speaker 1: where the government failed to stop a blockade at the 1261 01:18:19,680 --> 01:18:22,320 Speaker 1: U S border, French authorities got way ahead of this 1262 01:18:22,400 --> 01:18:25,479 Speaker 1: protest by stopping at least five hundred vehicles before they 1263 01:18:25,520 --> 01:18:28,479 Speaker 1: even got to Paris. Only a few decent cars made 1264 01:18:28,479 --> 01:18:31,400 Speaker 1: it to the Seans Alize, and the police ticketed three 1265 01:18:31,439 --> 01:18:35,439 Speaker 1: hundred protesters who were present at the demonstration. Protests against 1266 01:18:35,439 --> 01:18:38,599 Speaker 1: government coronavirus restrictions have cut on in Europe and other 1267 01:18:38,640 --> 01:18:41,559 Speaker 1: parts of the world in recent days, but they remained 1268 01:18:41,600 --> 01:18:45,120 Speaker 1: more subdued than the Canadian demonstrations. A convoy of about 1269 01:18:45,160 --> 01:18:48,000 Speaker 1: five hundred vehicles, mostly from France who are barred from 1270 01:18:48,160 --> 01:18:51,080 Speaker 1: entering Brussels of just a few days ago, leaving several 1271 01:18:51,160 --> 01:18:54,800 Speaker 1: hundred protesters to gather on foot at a city square instead. 1272 01:18:55,320 --> 01:18:58,800 Speaker 1: Another convoy of several hundred vehicles blocked access to the 1273 01:18:58,880 --> 01:19:02,320 Speaker 1: Seat of the Netherlands froment in the Hague on February twelve, 1274 01:19:02,960 --> 01:19:06,200 Speaker 1: And of course, many political figures in the US are 1275 01:19:06,280 --> 01:19:09,920 Speaker 1: really trying to get a convoy esque protest kicked off 1276 01:19:10,000 --> 01:19:13,559 Speaker 1: here in the United States. Tucker Carlson and Fox News 1277 01:19:13,560 --> 01:19:17,080 Speaker 1: in general has covered the convoy NonStop, giving it tons 1278 01:19:17,080 --> 01:19:20,560 Speaker 1: and tons of support. Tucker has said that the Canadian 1279 01:19:20,560 --> 01:19:24,639 Speaker 1: trucker convoy is the single most successful human rights protest 1280 01:19:24,640 --> 01:19:28,519 Speaker 1: in a generation. Senator Rand Paul So that he hopes 1281 01:19:28,520 --> 01:19:31,559 Speaker 1: the trucker has come to America and specifically two clog 1282 01:19:31,640 --> 01:19:35,320 Speaker 1: up cities. At least nine members of Congress, all Republicans, 1283 01:19:35,400 --> 01:19:38,679 Speaker 1: have all publicized their support for the convoy. Participants on Twitter. 1284 01:19:39,200 --> 01:19:42,920 Speaker 1: Self appointed organizers for a US based convoy have found 1285 01:19:42,960 --> 01:19:48,360 Speaker 1: quick support from conservative outlets. US convoy organizer Brian Brace 1286 01:19:48,520 --> 01:19:51,080 Speaker 1: has been making the rounds on Fox News, sitting down 1287 01:19:51,080 --> 01:19:54,200 Speaker 1: with Carlson, as well as the networks Fox and Friends 1288 01:19:54,240 --> 01:19:57,439 Speaker 1: Morning Show. Brace says that he hoped to organize a 1289 01:19:57,560 --> 01:20:00,920 Speaker 1: cross country convoy from California out to Washington, d C 1290 01:20:01,439 --> 01:20:05,439 Speaker 1: starting around March fourth. Routes to converge on d C 1291 01:20:05,640 --> 01:20:08,519 Speaker 1: from across the country are being planned, while the group's 1292 01:20:08,560 --> 01:20:12,919 Speaker 1: telegram channel is actively soliciting volunteers and donations of items 1293 01:20:12,960 --> 01:20:16,720 Speaker 1: like tents, generators, and p A systems. I kind of 1294 01:20:16,720 --> 01:20:19,479 Speaker 1: hope people on the left can look at the tactics 1295 01:20:19,520 --> 01:20:22,439 Speaker 1: being used in Canada, some that have worked and some 1296 01:20:22,520 --> 01:20:26,120 Speaker 1: that have faltered. But in terms of like anti capitalist action, 1297 01:20:26,560 --> 01:20:29,080 Speaker 1: you can't do much better than causing hundreds and millions 1298 01:20:29,080 --> 01:20:32,280 Speaker 1: of dollars and losses to international trade between two of 1299 01:20:32,320 --> 01:20:36,519 Speaker 1: the biggest countries in the world. Right now, no protest 1300 01:20:36,520 --> 01:20:40,960 Speaker 1: movement can be replicated, but any movement can be analyzed, 1301 01:20:41,280 --> 01:20:44,720 Speaker 1: and that can inform how folks approach future movements as 1302 01:20:44,760 --> 01:20:48,360 Speaker 1: they spontaneously arise. And I at the very least hope 1303 01:20:48,400 --> 01:20:50,680 Speaker 1: you have a better idea now of how only a 1304 01:20:50,720 --> 01:20:53,679 Speaker 1: few thousand people can totally choke out a major city, 1305 01:20:54,000 --> 01:20:57,080 Speaker 1: because we've talked about this possibility before. You know, a 1306 01:20:57,080 --> 01:21:00,200 Speaker 1: group of people overwhelming local law enforcement and taking over 1307 01:21:00,200 --> 01:21:03,679 Speaker 1: and shutting down a sizeable portion of a popular metropolitan area, 1308 01:21:04,040 --> 01:21:07,479 Speaker 1: not to mention simultaneously blocking off supply lines, trade routes, 1309 01:21:07,760 --> 01:21:11,799 Speaker 1: and international border crossings. The evolution of these medium scale 1310 01:21:11,880 --> 01:21:15,280 Speaker 1: anti government resistance tactics is something we all should be 1311 01:21:15,320 --> 01:21:18,840 Speaker 1: paying attention to as the political tensions continue to rise 1312 01:21:19,240 --> 01:21:22,439 Speaker 1: right outside our doorstep, because it's always too late when 1313 01:21:22,479 --> 01:21:25,479 Speaker 1: you realize the call it's coming from inside the house. 1314 01:21:28,080 --> 01:21:30,439 Speaker 1: It could Happen Here is a production of cool Zone Media. 1315 01:21:30,680 --> 01:21:33,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 1316 01:21:33,360 --> 01:21:35,479 Speaker 1: cool zone media dot com, or check us out on 1317 01:21:35,520 --> 01:21:38,040 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 1318 01:21:38,120 --> 01:21:40,920 Speaker 1: listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It could 1319 01:21:40,920 --> 01:21:43,920 Speaker 1: Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zone media dot com 1320 01:21:43,960 --> 01:21:45,879 Speaker 1: slash sources. Thanks for listening.