38) The Liberal government has imposed the Emergencies Act to end the Freedom Convoy. Wasn't that overkill to end a peaceful protest?
Peaceful? Because the protesters who had amassed large amounts of firearms hadn't used them yet?
39) Okay, not exactly peaceful, then. But lawful. Certainly lawful. Isn't the Emergencies Act overkill to end a lawful protest?
Lawful? Which part of the protest was lawful? Interfering with critical infrastructure like the bridges to the United States on which so much trade with the US flows? Harassing homeless shelter workers? Peeing and defecating on people's lawns?
Anyway, who are you to question the use of force to end legitimate protests?
41) Wh - who am I? I believe in freedom - I would defend any legitimate protest!
Really? I don't remember you defending the freedom of Indigenous protesters at Wet'suwet'en...
42) That's not - I mean, there's a...a simple explanation for that. I was...busy visiting my Aunt Bertha in the hospital. Do you want to hear about her condition?
No, thank you. What about defending the freedom of advocates of the homeless at Trinity-Bellwoods? I can't recall you doing that, either.
43) Oh, well, I would have - you know how much I love freedom...only, I...I had an important meeting with my...accountant. Yeah. My accountant. Want to know what he taught me about writing PPE porn off my federal taxes?
You know, it makes me wonder: just how committed are you to this concept of freedom?
44) How commit - you...you dare to ask me how committed I am to - you - you - hey! - who is asking the questions, here?
Forgive my presumption. I had fish tacos for lunch.
45) Okay, then. How can the government justify using the Emergencies Act when a majority of Canadians support the Freedom Convoy?
Would that majority include the 66 per cent of Canadians who told a recent poll that they supported the government's invocation of the Emergencies Act? Or the 72 per cent of Canadians who told an earlier poll that the protesters should "go home now, they have made their point?"
46) You're no fun. You know that?
Frequently Unasked Questions files promise you answers. They never said they would be answers you would like.
47) Erm. What about the $10 million the Freedom Convoy raised? That shows a lot of support from Canadians, don't you think?
At the risk of antagonizing you further...only a little over half of that money was donated by Canadians. Most of the rest came from the United States. A little came from such freedom loving countries as Hungary, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia.
48) Erm, erm. Okay, it may not have all come from Canada. Still, raising that much money shows how successful this grassroots protest was, doesn't it?
Absolutely. Nothing says "grassroots" more than a $75,000 donation from Easy Kleen Pressure Systems, or a $25,000 donation from Killarney Mountain Lodge. Real triumph of the common person, that is. Then there was the grassroots $10,000 from UNIFYD, an organization began by New York real estate investor Jason Shurka, $5,000 from ESI Rail, $5,000 from Marine Tech Industries, $18,000 from The Range Lang -
49) Yeah, yeah, yeah. The GoFundMe campaign received donations from almost 93,000 people - not all of them were corporations. That's a hell of a lot of support for a protest, wouldn't you agree?
I would, if any of the money actually got to the protesters.
One million dollars was released by GoFundMe to Free Dumb convoy organizer Tamara Lich - there is no evidence that any of that money actually went to the truckers involved in the protest. Then, GoFundMe froze the account soon after, arguing that there was no credible plan to distribute the money to the people it was raised for. Oops.
51) The Freedom Convoy is being run by honourable people. Do you really expect me to believe that they wouldn't have a plan to distribute the money they raised to the truckers?
Honourable people? Like Benjamin Dichter, the self-described vice-president of the Free Dumb Convoy, who honourably said at a 2019 People's Party of Canada event that the country suffered from the "stench" of "political Islam?" Or could you have been thinking of "protective intelligence" ...something-or-other for the Free Dumb Convoy Tom Quiggin, who authored a report in 2016 about what he honourably claimed were "extremist teachings" at mosques and schools? Or perhaps prominent figure at the Free Dumb Convoy protest in Ottawa Pat King, who released a video in 2019 in which he makes honourably racist remarks about Jews, Muslims and Chinese people?
52) Yeah, well, the Freedom Convoy has gotten a lot of support from the Canadian media. For instance, Joe Rogan said that Canada is "a country in revolt." What about that?
Great. Except Joe Rogan is not a Canadian.
53) Oh, well, okay, but what about Ben Shapiro saying: "Canadian truckers are rightfully demonstrating against authoritarian vaccine mandates?"
Still not Canadian.
54) I - okay.. Still, that great patriot Sean Hannity wrote on his web site: "TRUCK YEAH: Canada Forms Freedom Convoy of 10K Trucks to Protest Vax Mandates, 'Overreach is Over.'" Surely, that's counts as media support?
We can argue about Sean Hannity's patriotic fervour (it appears to us more like a damp squib than a firecracker), but one thing we think we can all agree on is that he is definitely not a Canadian.
55) Sean Hannity isn't a - are you sure about that?
He is as Canadian as a newborn puppy is graceful. As Canadian as a serial killer is a great person to babysit your children. As Canadian as somebody who is analogy-impaired is going to be able to appreciate what I am saying.
In short, not at all.
And he's also wrong on the facts. At most, 150 trucks were part of the Free Dumb Convoy. They were augmented by as many as 1,000 SUVs and family sedans - the Hamburger Helper of trucker convoys.
56) You're just jealous of the righteousness of the Freedom Convoy's cause, aren't you?
Yeah, that must be it.