(The Canadian Press)

By Derek Craddock

FREEDOM CONVOY

Sask. Political Science professor weighs in on convoys and protests

Feb 15, 2022 | 2:00 PM

As anti-mandate protests continue across the country, a political scientist weighs in on whether the movement will spark change.

Dr. Colleen Bell is an associate professor of Political Science at the University of Saskatchewan.

When asked about whether protests or convoys will bring the change they’re calling for, Bell said they likely won’t, because the majority of COVID mandates and restrictions are implemented by the provinces.

“I think some people are scratching their head a little bit about why it is that the convoy is targeted at Ottawa and the federal government because those mandates are actually provincial jurisdiction,” said Bell.

“The federal government played a role in producing sort of national guidelines and certainly there are some powers that are a part of the federal government, but the mandates that these groups are targeting are largely provincial.”

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Some rules, including those at the Canada-U.S. border and the vaccine mandate for truck drivers crossing that border, were implemented by the federal government.

Vaccines mandates for all international and domestic travellers, in place since last October, were also introduced by the feds.

Bell also commented on the support for convoys and demonstrations, pointing to recent polls that showed many Canadians don’t side with the protests.

“I think we need to remember that it’s a minority opinion that is not shared by the vast majority of Canadians.”

“We’ve seen very aggressive behaviour towards homeless shelters, women’s shelters, even just the pollution that’s being created by these trucks running all the time is really having an impact on people and also people wearing masks being harassed. So, unfortunately, this is not contributing positively to democratic discourse about what our next move should be with respect to the pandemic. It’s kind of trying to bully people into agreeing with them.”

During the convoy’s stay in Ottawa, paNOW has spoken to local residents who are a part of the movement that has said the demonstrations are peaceful and, in some cases, they are helping those on the street and even some businesses are supporting them.

A couple from Tisdale also described the atmosphere on Parliament Hill as peaceful and those they interacted with are smiling and supportive of those living in downtown Ottawa.

Some people involved in these protests say they are taking part in the name of freedom and civil liberties, something Bell also questioned.

“There’s a lot of things that we can’t just do because we feel like it. You’re not allowed to send your kids to school if they have chickenpox, you’re not allowed to defecate on the sidewalk. There’s a whole range of things that you’re not allowed to do that are violent, like infringements on your civil liberties that we as a society has decided are a good thing. So, the civil liberty card and the way it’s being used in this context is really disingenuous.”

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act to quell protests and blockades across the country.

The act will give the government temporary powers to restrict and even bar protestors from meeting in certain areas.

It also gives more power to police forces to fine and arrest people, allows the RCMP to enforce municipal bylaws, and protect important areas like border crossings and airports.

A group of demonstrators remain in Ottawa while protests at the Ambassador Bridge and the Coutts Border Crossing have been cleared.

–With files from 980 CJME

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock