MacGregor misrepresents spirit of Freedom Convoy
MP Alistair MacGregor’s recent column entitled “Crowdfunding extremism prompts federal motion” misrepresents the intent and spirit of the Freedom Convoy 2022 protests. His biggest error is the assumption that somehow, amongst the thousands of Canadians who supported the convoy, the actions of a few extremists represent the whole. That is misleading. They do not. In terms of support a recent Ipsos poll, released on Feb. 11, revealed that 46 per cent of Canadians express sympathy for the truckers, and that number has risen to 61 per cent amongst Canadians 18 to 34. Clearly much of the public is in sympathy with the convoy. These are not radical extremists, nor are they a “fringe minority” and the vast majority are not malicious, they are just expressing their discontent.
As for foreign based donations from outside sources, MacGregor fails to mention that others have a lot to answer for in this regard. Money has poured into Canada from outside organizations like BLM Global Network, Global Green Grants International, and Washington based Natural Resources Defense Council, which took credit for shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline. U.S. and outside money pours into Canada in support of these and similar causes on a regular basis. Mr. MacGregor should have mentioned this.
MacGregor said that he will not sit idly by while symbols of hate rear their ugly head. Fair enough, but I do not recall him condemning hateful symbols or actions during the violent demonstrations that took place in America and Canada in the summer of 2020, demonstrations which resulted in public property damage, injury and loss of life. He also has not strongly condemned the destruction of Canadian statues and monuments by mobs, a violation of law and civilized conduct. There was no concern for “our cherished national monuments” then. Why not? You can’t have it both ways.
Extremism is indeed a problem, but it is not just the extremism Mr. MacGregor points to. Extremism comes in many forms and Mr. MacGregor should condemn all of them in a balanced way. We deserve that from our local MP. What we do not deserve is an unbalanced view of an important event.
Perry Foster
Duncan
