No other previous prime minister, regardless of their political stripe, would have put up with two weeks of gridlock in downtown Ottawa, followed by growing protests at border crossings. Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien, right through to Brian Mulroney and Stephen Harper, would have put an end to this nonsense days ago.
They would have let the demonstrations go on for a few days and then firmly told the protesters to go home and if they didn’t leave, they would be removed by members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
And naturally these protesters in Ottawa and at the border crossings and elsewhere will cry about the violation of their civil liberties and their rights to freedom of assembly. Here’s what Trudeau the Senior had to say about that in October 1970.
“There's a lot of bleeding hearts around who just don't like to see people with helmets and guns. All I can say is, go on and bleed, but it's more important to keep law and order in this society than to be worried about weak-kneed people who don't like the looks of a soldier's helmet.”
“At any cost? How far would you go with that? How far would you extend that?” the reporter asked.
“Well, just watch me,” Trudeau replied.
Funny how the Conservative Party of Canada and our two local Conservative MPs took so long before telling “Freedom Convoy” protesters that their voices were heard and now it’s time to let other Canadians enjoy their freedoms, like going to work and crossing the border.
The Conservatives have excellent points to argue about the validity of federal and provincial vaccine mandates and they should be presenting those points in the House of Commons vigorously. Many of the mandates are – in whole or part - no longer backed by the evolving science. But the Conservatives should have been unified with their fellow Parliamentarians much earlier in calling for these protests to end, willingly or not.
From a politically cynical standpoint, which has been this Trudeau’s textbook from day one, threatening to call in the army (and following through if he has to) would now be warmly received by most of the urban and suburban voters every party serious about forming government needs.
Pierre said he didn’t have a choice when he called in the army and that he was just responding to the clear and present danger to democracy. Justin can use that line, too.
There are many wrongs with the current mandates and everyone is tired of living with them, regardless of individual views on the safety of the vaccines. These protesters, however, have crossed the line separating protest from lawlessness. Their continuing actions are declarations that their love for freedom does not include the freedom of anyone who disagrees with them.
If it takes soldiers patrolling downtown Ottawa and border crossings to restore democratic law and order, this -- or any other prime minister -- should do so without hesitation.
