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Sep 16, 2022·edited Sep 16, 2022Author

I feel I should clarify that I don't mean protests are always a bad idea, just that they are often not as effective. It helps if they have a clear message, are non-violent, are well organized, and have a real impact on their target. (The Freedom Convoy had none of that.)

In Ontario, we have a Premier voted in for four more years with a majority gov't - meaning he and his government can pretty well do what they wants. But that majority is from 40% or the votes of a 40% turnout, so really he has the support of 16% or so of the electorate.

His government has limited pay increases for both teachers and nurses, while increasing the demands made of them. Teachers have contract talks coming up. Hospitals are already drastically short staffed, and he will be pushing the elderly needing long term care from the hospital beds they are using up, into long term care homes. Homes up to 70 km away. Homes that already don't have enough nursing staff. The main tool teachers and nurses can use is a strike, but they can be easily legislate back in as essential. How that morphes into a protest is if other unions join in sympathy. Or parents of students, or relatives of the elderly join in - then it becomes a general strike. Which hurts the economy and them, yes, but also effects big businesses and their support of the politicians. Threaten their power and they get worried.

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Your basic premises are wrong, Mike, even though you were an eyewitness to them. You may disagree with the politics of the Freedom Convoy, but facts are facts, aren't they?

The Freedom Convoy was extremely well organized. They managed to occupy and shut down the center of Ottawa, keep their trucks refueled for three weeks, feed thousands of protesters, etc. Their protests spread to Quebec City, Toronto, Coutts and Windsor among other places. Their leaders were so well known and scary they were put in prison for months with no bail on "mischief" charges, while random (alleged) rapists and thieves routinely get bail.

The Freedom Convoy was completely non-violent. The only incidents of violence were by the police, on the final weekend. There are many hundreds of hours of video on Youtube from live streamers walking around downtown Ottawa during the protest, some e.g. Viva Frei talked to hundreds of people. You can see they were not violent, in case you didn't go out to see it yourself.

The Freedom Convoy had a huge political impact. It forced the removal of the Leader of the Opposition, and resulted in the election of a pro-Convoy replacement. It forced Trudeau to show his authoritarian nature by invoking Martial Law. It caused most provinces to immediately remove their vaccine passport systems. Eventually, it resulted in Trudeau ending his vaccine mandates for air and train travel before he intended to, and opening the border.

You say you want unbiased news, yet you can't impartially describe a major event that happened on your doorstep. Good luck in your quest.

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