Mythos Canada, Interrupted

Watching the scales fall from our collective eyes…

Growing up in Canada in the forties, before the generations were given cute names, we often looked south in admiration of the American colossus next door. In spite of our comic books being printed in black and white while the fatter, more expensive US versions were in vivid colour, we still thought Captain Canuck was the best. Individually, we were ruggedly independent like that decent outdoorsman, Mark Trail. And we had the Mounties who were there to suppress those upstart natives who were getting in the way of progress.

Ah progress, what a glorious mantra. Following years of food rationing and loved ones away at war, Canadians rejoiced to have our fathers, brothers and uncles back home. The baby boom was on and there was stuff to buy again. What could possibly go wrong? The future was limitless. It was our divine right to exploit the land, sea and air. Only later would we start thinking about the detritus we created. Our freedom from want has not been balanced by a responsibility of care.

Recently, we have been physically and psychologically overwhelmed by a plague called Covid-19. We shouldn’t have been surprised by this viral disease because we have a new one every few years or so. We were unprepared with mitigation measures at the onset and we continue to disagree on the best way to cope with evolving variants. In fact, there is even a minority of us who have decided that vaccinations are no longer a valid response to this highly infectious disease, in spite of our success with mumps. measles, polio, shingles, tetanus, influenza and HIV/AIDS, along with other widespread diseases.

Although a large majority of our citizens have accepted the benefits of medical science, a substantive minority decided to create a caravan of trucks to cross Canada from the west to Ottawa for the purpose of ousting the elected government on the basis that mandated vaccination programs destroyed the liberty of Canadians. Yet, with plenty of warning, local authorities mismanaged the arrival of the so-called Freedom Convoy and the capital city was effectively shut down for weeks. Other sympathizers took their vehicles to various US border crossings and shut down trade access  at a cost of billions to the national economy. Was this out of character behaviour for the mythically polite and apologetic Canadians, or was this the real face of righteous and indignant citizens? Apparently, our leaders never bothered to ask.

I had often watched my journalist wife encounter strangers who, within moments of meeting, would be spilling their most intimate fears and desires. Impressed, but puzzled, I  once asked her how she did it. She said she never demanded answers, only told her new acquaintances that she was interested in knowing more about them and what was important to them. She knew that most people love to talk about themselves – so she let them. Reflecting on Bonnie’s gentle but productive technique, I wondered what has been missing from the media coverage of the hard core trucker holdouts.

So far, I don’t have a clue about the motivations of those Ottawa occupiers who say things like, “I’m ready to die here,” or “I don’t care if I lose my truck”. None of these attitudes seem rational when the vast majority of Canadians are compliant with measures that protect us. Inoculation against infection isn’t exactly a novelty. As a society, we are quite willing to acknowledge the frailty of others by banning peanut butter in our children’s lunch boxes. Duly elected governments make rules and regulations so that the uninformed will not be exploited by the conniving. We are no longer permitted “bonfires” at the curb when the leaves fall in October. We must pass a test before being allowed to drive in public. And so on. So what has radicalized this populist uprising that has motivated thousands of ordinarily sensible, hardworking individuals to behave in such an intemperate fashion?

Where is the shame of inflicting harm on others in the name of freedom? Is there no way to protect ourselves from populists who who conspire to get us to behave in ways that damage the fabric of our society, our economy, our ability to manage our civic environment? Who will delve into the root cause of this mischievous behaviour? Some behaviours have been far from peaceful, boorish at best and criminal at worst. Some observers speculate that we could see more scary behaviours from scofflaws in the future. Was there influence from extremist media on both sides of the border? How do we protect ourselves from those actions that threaten our civil liberty, our livelihoods, even our personal comfort and safety. After all, what is a community for, if not to provide a means to support, protect and uplift us all.

Is it possible that this caravan is a manifestation of frustration over a series of grievances rather than the issue of mandates for vaccinations only? Wouldn’t it be prudent to dig deeper into the motivations for the malevolent, mob-like attitude of a minority of essential workers (yes, truckers are essential), to discover and address these problems? Creative problem-solving ought to be the first approach to an issue. Typically, we try to identify solutions before we have determined what the true nature of the problem is. Identifying the real problem often makes the best solution obvious.

Unfortunately, we often inflict painful solutions on everyone rather than doing the work required to understand and tackle the root issues. We owe it to ourselves and our children to discover what our real problems are. A misapplied solution to a misunderstood problem creates confusion, chaos, and conflict. Governments must have the courage to understand and address the real needs of the people rather than simply to pander for re-election.