Canada has just gone through its own version of the insurrection that took place in Washington, DC. on January 6, 2021. Unlike the one-day invasion of the U.S. Capitol building, the Canadian protests were extended over 23 days, in multiple locations, and may not be over. The Protest label is truly not correct; the more appropriate label is an Occupation. Here are a few personal reflections.

Why did these protests take place?

The U.S. protest was intended to overturn the November 2020 election. Canada’s protests were initially directed at the country’s vaccine policies, specifically the vaccine and masking mandates.

The motivation of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” was a piece of federal regulation that requires unvaccinated Canadian truckers to isolate for fourteen days upon returning to Canada from the United States. Unvaccinated foreign truckers, however, are not allowed into the country. Despite 90 percent of Canadian truckers being vaccinated, the support of the Teamsters union and the Canadian Trucking Alliance, this policy energized a vocal minority on the Right.