Regardless of the politics and policy of vaccine mandates, the giant Canadian protest run by truck drivers called the “Freedom Convoy” is too big to ignore. The Freedom Convoy has shut down at least three border crossings between the US and Canada.
This resulted in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act, which was later affirmed by the House of Commons. A controversial decision that is still reverberating.
These mass protests have drawn the attention of politicians, mainstream media, and independent fringe media all with their own analysis of the situation. So let’s take a look at how these Canadian protests have demonstrated the power of truck drivers working together.
What is the “Freedom Convoy”?
The Freedom Convoy initially began as a protest against the regulations that would require proof of vaccination when crossing the US-Canada border, an important barrier for international trade and commerce.
The collection of truck drivers began blockading border crossing, which put economic trade in temporary jeopardy. Their demands, thus far, have been specific and targeted against ending all vaccine mandates, with the argument being one of bodily autonomy. Many individual Canadian provinces do impose vaccine mandates, independent of the federal Canadian government.
The truck driver protesters have also gathered in Ottawa near Parliament Hill. There has also been a common sentiment against Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and his government among the protesters.
The government responded by freezing bank accounts and invoking emergency powers against the truck drivers.
Many media outlets opposed to the trucker convoy have tried to slander the drivers as racists or fascists. But the core argument of the truck drivers seems to be a precise and targeted complaint against a specific policy of vaccine mandates. Whether you agree or disagree, this is not a Neo-Nazi uprising.
“Freedom Convoy” Reactions in the US?
In the hyper-polarized nation of the United States, reactions to the Canadian truck driver protests have largely fallen along party lines.
But for the trucking industry, the situation for drivers in the US is actually much different. Unconcerned with Canadian provincial regulations, American truck drivers aren’t required to wear masks all day nor are most drivers required to be vaccinated against COVID.
President Biden’s proposed mandate for companies with over 100 employees has crashed and burned.
That means, the trucking industry reaction will come down to what matters most of all – money.
Lewie Pugh, EVP of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has reiterated his opposition to vaccine mandates, but Pugh spoke on Fox News about why he opposes the Canadian trucker protests.
Pugh says that truck drivers “can’t be blocking” roads and bridges, which affects commerce and, thus, profits, and will turn the public against the drivers.
The American Trucking Association released a statement that “strongly opposes any protest activities that disrupt public safety and compromise the economic and national security of the United States.”
Again, the argument of economic security rears its head as a primary motive to oppose these specific protests.
A Display of Power of Truck Drivers
Removed from the politics of COVID, the Canadian convoy protests have proven a valuable truism: Truck drivers are the backbone of the economy. Truck drivers, united, have the power to slow commerce to a crawl.
And if the virus isn’t motivating for American truck drivers to unite, then perhaps there is one motivation that may result in truck drivers rising up in our own country. The economic security of the drivers themselves.
Truck drivers are in extremely high demand. While trucking companies are racing to raise wages and negotiate on lifestyle issues, such as home time, it may not be fast enough. As their value rose throughout the pandemic, truck drivers demanded more for their labor.
Economic research shows steep losses and the death of the middle class in America. Throughout the pandemic, the richest Americans have seen massive wealth growth while the rest of the country has gotten nothing but stimulus checks, if at all.
Cost of living increases, rising rent costs, homelessness, inflation making groceries too expensive, income inequality, and more economic realities are issues that make day-to-day living increasingly difficult for both truck drivers and average Americans. If truck drivers were to ever protest and hold hostage the new Gilded Age in America, the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” has drawn the blueprint.