1. I understand why people are frustrated by how long we have been living with the effects of the pandemic. We are all frustrated, each in our own way. My heart goes out particularly to health care workers, teachers, parents of small children, and to others who have had their lives turned upside-down: the elderly, people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and people with anxieties and other mental health difficulties. It has been a long, hard slog and we are not out of the woods yet.
2. That we are not out of the woods is amply demonstrated by COVID hospitalization and death rates, which continue to climb in a number of provinces.
3. I am glad that such a high percentage of Canadians have chosen to be vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and their neighbours.
4. I am also glad that we live in a country where we have the right to protest and make our views known peacefully.
5. Parliament is not sitting at the moment, so the only people who will be inconvenienced by blocking streets in Ottawa-Gatineau are... ordinary people who live in Ottawa-Gatineau. Not political decision-makers, many of whom will be in their home ridings across the country.
6. The U.S. has its own mandate in place that requires truckers to be vaccinated before entering that country. Even if Canada was to repeal its own requirement, Canadian truckers would still not be allowed to enter the U.S.
7. On September 20, 2021 Canada held a federal general election. During the election campaign, federal response to COVID-19 was a major topic. Slightly fewer than 63% of eligible voters cast a ballot, meaning that more than a third of eligible voters did not. The Liberal party was elected as a minority government. The idea of disbanding the government when Canadians have just had their say on the issue is a strange one.
8. Most of the responsibility for health care lies at the provincial level, not federal. The federal government does, however, have jurisdiction in a number of areas including protecting our borders and over federally-regulated sectors such as transportation. In other words, most of the day-to-day COVID measures that Canadians have faced have been enacted at the provincial and municipal levels, rather than federal.
9. The proposal that a 'Memorandum of Understanding' could be presented to the Governor General and the Senate to disband the Government is a non-starter. Neither has the authority to do such a thing, even in the unlikely event that they would entertain the idea.
10. Political demonstrations are routinely co-opted by individuals and groups with a wide range of agendas. The trucker convoy is no different and it is clear that this is already happening. Sorting out one voice from another becomes difficult.
11. Some of those voices are recommending violence. They may not represent the majority, but they don't have to and people can still get hurt. Or worse.
12. Those who encourage violence, verbally or financially, are no less guilty than those who commit it.