After the embarrassment of the Freedom Convoy, Canadas Justin Trudeau is facing a new challenge to his authority. This time, its coming from within his own party.
For the last two weeks, more than 1,000 truck drivers have converged on Canadas capital, Ottawa, to protest the countrys coronavirus restrictions. Their movement, dubbed the Freedom Convoy, is demanding an end to the countrys strict vaccine and mask mandates for travel across the U.S.-Canada Border, or Trudeaus resignation as prime minister.
Initially, Trudeau dismissed the group as a fringe minority that didnt represent the views of Canadians. Since it began, however, the protest has attracted more than 10,000 participants and gained global attention as a flashpoint in the civil divide over pandemic restrictions.
It has inspired another planned truck convoy in the United States, from California to Washington D.C., as well as other protests in solidarity around the world. Another group of truckers have blocked traffic on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Canada the largest port of cross-border trade costing Canadas economy more than $300 million per day.
Opinions of the protest have been sharply divided along political lines, especially in the United States. While corporate media outlets have been quick to side with the Canadian government, calling it a cult and insurrection, conservative politicians and commentators have endorsed the protest. Four GOP state attorneys-general in Florida, Texas, West Virginia, and Louisiana have vowed to investigate crowdfunding website GoFundMe for shutting down a fundraiser for the truckers that raised $7.5 Million.
It now seems that Trudeau is losing the left, as well. In the last two days, members of Canadas parliament in Trudeaus Liberal Party caucus have criticized his mask and vaccine mandates.
Joel Lightbound, an MP from the politically important province of Quebec, slammed the government for politicization of the pandemic and normalizing [Covid measures] with no end in sight. In a speech on the Freedom Convoy implicitly challenging Trudeau, he claimed no epidemiological evidence had been provided in support of the measures and demanded a timeline to end all mask and vaccine mandates.
The next day, another Liberal MP, Yves Robillard, endorsed the speech, claiming He said exactly what a lot of us [in the caucus] think, and saying Canadas Covid mandates had affected his mental health.
These comments are a political earthquake for Trudeau. While in the United States members of Congress often dissent from their leadership, Canadas parliamentary government means party discipline is rigid. Backbench MPs usually never break with the prime minister on any issue, and risk expulsion from the party (and loss of their seats next election) if they do. That even two MPs from Trudeaus party would criticize him openly is unprecedented, revealing that opinion is souring on his leadership during Covid-19 and response to the protests.
Moreover, if Robillards comments are to be believed, several other Liberal MPs may share these views. In Canadas parliament, where Trudeau has a minority, this could set the stage for a challenge to his premiership if more support is forthcoming, with the Liberal caucus or parliament as a whole, voting to reject confidence in Trudeaus government.
Success of either measure would remove Trudeau as prime minister, one of the Freedom Convoys objectives. It would also likely plunge Canada into a general election, the second within five months after the last one in 2021.
All this comes as the opposition Conservative Party faces its own leadership race after former leader Erin OToole was ousted from his job because of the Freedom Convoy. OToole, a center-right politician with liberal positions on vaccines and masks, had been reluctant to support the protests, which angered his caucus and led to his swift removal by a vote of MPs last week.
Ottawa-area Conservative Pierre Poilievre known for his social media clips of verbal jousting with Trudeau in parliament is the frontrunner in the race to replace him, and has openly embraced the protesters. These events demonstrate that the Freedom Convoy is beginning to impact mainstream politics across North America.
More than one dozen U.S. states, and four of Canadas ten provinces, this week announced timelines to end most Covid regulations within the next month. Meanwhile, the Freedom Convoy continues to garner donations. After its removal from GoFundMe, it has raised nearly $9 million on the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo.
Arjun Singh is a freelance writer in Ontario, Canada.
Go here to see the original:
Freedom Convoy To End Covid Tyranny Is Getting Results Worldwide - The Federalist
- Trump Fight On COVID Bill Shows Strength Of Conservative Populism - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Report: Infants Born Alive During Botched Abortions In Texas In 2019 - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- 8 Of The Craziest Items In The $900 Billion COVID Blue-State Bailout Bill - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- We Must Ban These Christmas Classics To Please The Wokesters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Josh Hawley Was The Exact Sort Of Prick Youd Imagine Him To Be At Yale Law School - Above the Law [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- GOP Lawmakers Have A Point: Americans Need To Trust Elections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Year Another Capitol Siege Almost Took Place on the Hill - Governing [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- I lost a law school election to Josh Hawley. I moved on then, and he should now on Trump. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Trump Calls For Peace As Riot Roils Capitol: 'You Have To Go Home Now' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Democrat Pastor Ends Congressional Prayer With 'Amen And A-Woman' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why Georgia's May Be The Most Important Election In Recent History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Maxine Waters: Trump Is Creating A 'Civil War' And Must Be Prosecuted - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Tipping Point: What Drove People To Riot At The Capitol? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Biden Calls Hawley And Cruz Nazis Who Are 'Part Of The Big Lie' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- No Police Officers Will Be Charged In Kenosha Shooting Of Jacob Blake - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Somalias 2021 elections and the threats of federalism | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Watch Obama And Clinton Support Objection To The 2005 Certification - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Ridiculing Election Fraud Concerns Will Not Make Them Go Away - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Michael Flynn And Sidney Powell Are Permanently Banned From Twitter - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why it's time for state IT to have a 'federalist moment' - StateScoop [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Left Won't Be Satisfied Until Conservatives Smear Trump Voters As Bigots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Facebook Will Ban And Delete All Photos And Videos Of Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Capitol Riot Will Hurt The People Who Were Already Hurting Most - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Listen To Rush Limbaugh On The Federalist's Capitol Hill Coverage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Georgia Confirms The Pre-Trump GOP Is Dead And Gone - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Twitter Just Nuked The Account Of The World's Biggest Critic Of Big Tech And China - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Your Monthly Reminder That Nikki Haley Is A Social-Climbing Opportunist - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Dems With COVID Voted For Pelosi, Then Blamed GOP For Infections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrats Are Using The Recent Capitol Riot To Consolidate Power - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Federalist Publisher: Big Tech Colluding to Destroy Conservative Speech - WBAP News/Talk [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The election that foreshadowed 2020 - Newsday [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Why Millennials Love To Hate Boomers And Whether It's Deserved - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Facebook And Instagram Just Permabanned The US President - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The 2020 Election Aftermath Is Not At All Unprecedented In US History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- To Win In The Future, Republicans Need To Move On From Trump - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The Biggest Gun Forum Just Kicked Off The Internet Without Explanation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrat Wants To Put Josh Hawley And Ted Cruz On The No-Fly List - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Can't Imagine The Reality New Yorkers Face - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- A Divisive Impeachment Will Only Make Trump A Martyr - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- 'Mandalorian' Star Gina Carano Takes Us Behind The Scenes, Explains Her Politics - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- In Modern Storytelling, 'Mank' Is A Beautiful Blast From The Past - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- 8 Strategies For Exiting The Biden Years Stronger Than The Right Went In - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Why School Choice Isn't Enough To Really Improve American Education - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Disney And Marvel's 'WandaVision' Is As Fun As It Is Weird - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Unity has long been a theme, and anxiety, for new presidents - ABC News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Attorney and Federalist Society member sounds alarm about 'progressive tide' in small towns - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Hemingway: Leaders Should Be Wary Of Post-9/11 Style Crackdown - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think 'Master And Commander' Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be 'Much Bigger' Than The Trump Ban - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Dems Say GOP Lawmakers Gave 'Reconnaissance' Capitol Tours. Where's The Evidence? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- What Jefferson And Lincoln Say About National Unity In Dark Times - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- One Student's First-Person Account Of The Rally That Turned Into A Riot - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- MSNBC's Joy Reid Calls For 'De-Baathification' Of The GOP - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- A Second Trump Impeachment Ensures The GOP Will Never Be The Same - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Politico's Ben Shapiro Freakout Is An Illustration Of A Much Bigger Problem - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- The Nuclear Energy Tech Of The Past Four Years Will Blow Your Mind - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- How Big Government And Big Tech Conspire Against Voters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Trump Set To Leave Office With A Higher Approval Rating Than Bush - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Of Course We Don't Need A 9/11-Style Commission On The Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Chris Wallace: Biden's Speech Is 'Best Inaugural Address I've Ever Heard' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Column: Political Ambitions Leave Nation Struggling to Move Forward - Southern Pines Pilot [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Are Vaccinated Members Of Congress Still Wearing Masks? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Book excerpt: seditions and insurrections are inseparable from politics - Orange County Breeze [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Does Biden Have A Bust Of A Union Radical In The Oval Office? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Rand Paul: I'm Not Going To Listen To Comey, He Should Be In Prison. - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Senate Can Convict Trump After He's Out. Would That Be Prudent? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden, Harris Release Statement Celebrating Killing Babies In The Womb - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Calling China's Genocide What It Is Really Matters Federalist #3 - 2 hours ago - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- From The Tea Party To Trump: Reflections On The Eve Of Inauguration - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem Shows What The Left Truly Believes - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Follows 'Unity' Speech With 48 Hours Of Divisive Social Policy - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- DC Elite Used National Guard As Props, Questioned Their Loyalty, Then Made Them Sleep In Parking Garage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Reshaped By Trump, Our Institutions Will Hobble Into The Biden Era - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Things Are Beginning To Unravel On 'WandaVision' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Day One, Biden Destroys Girls' Sports With Anti-Science Executive Order - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Plans To Put Big Tech In Charge Of Its Own Regulation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]