Dear Editor
In rebuttal to Mr. Guzik's letter to the News-Optimist, March 3, there are many who feel the blame for the Ottawa fiasco should be laid at the feet of Justin Trudeau. An Ipsos poll conducted Feb. 8-9 showed growing support for the trucker’s convoy and the ‘freedom protesters.’ The survey commissioned by Global News found that 46 per cent of Canadians said the grievances expressed by the protesters are, ‘legitimate and worthy of sympathy.” Among those aged 18 to 34, 61 per cent felt this way. An earlier survey by Leger found similar numbers, and those respondents added that Trudeau and Canada’s premiers, “share the blame for the protests in Ottawa because of their condescending attitude towards Canadians who disagree with vaccine mandates and lock downs”.
Don Martins of CTV News wrote that, “There are many reasons why Trudeau should be worried about having his severely polarized reputation wrapped in tar and feathers.” “He imposed a vaccine restriction on truckers without a medical reason to justify it. ... He went invisible and silent as the protests escalated.”
When Trudeau imposed the Emergency Measures Act it had nothing to do with restoring order, but everything to do with suppressing what until then was for Trudeau an embarrassing but legitimate political protest. After declaration of the Act, these same actions by all concerned were deemed criminal! Jason Kenny recognized it for what it was – a very dangerous precedent in the democracy Mr Guzik claims to uphold. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association also recognized the dangerous precedent and is now challenging the Federal government to demonstrate in court why the Act should have been imposed.
I would be interested in seeing the response from Mr. Guzik, who is, “happy that the prime minister brought in the Emergencies Act,” if the Act were used to criminalize a cause he believes in.
James Wiebe
Sonningdale
