We were created for freedom and the human spirit longs to be free. The Canada’s Freedom Convoy was a populist uprising of common, everyday people wanting freedom. It was not an insurrection. They had no desire to take over the government. Neither was it an anti-vax movement, for 90% of the truckers had been vaccinated. It was a movement of freedom. They wanted to be free from the tyranny of government-imposed mandates that have destroyed so many lives and livelihoods.
It has been almost impossible to maintain a job or attend a post-secondary school in Canada, even if a person works at home or takes online courses — without getting the vaccine. Across the country, unvaccinated Canadians are banned from restaurants, movie theatres, concerts, gyms, some trains, and planes.
Christian pastor and renowned author, Dr. Eddie Hyatt explained, “Canada has had some of the most draconian mandates and shutdowns of any country in the world. A friend, who is Canadian, told me about returning to his home province after a business trip and being forced to quarantine in a government-designated hotel, even though he did not have the virus.”
Hyatt continued, “Even though he had an empty home a few blocks away, he was forced to pay $200.00 per night for the hotel room. In addition, the police regularly checked to make sure that he and others who were forcefully quarantined did not leave their rooms. He said, “I feel like I am in a communist country,”’
Through the Freedom Convoy, people were saying, “Enough is enough! We want back the freedom to live our lives and make our own choices for our families, our health and our future.”
Any peaceful movement for individual freedom from government tyranny is a positive thing and should be wholeheartedly supported by the church and individual Christians. Freedom, after all, is a God thing. Jesus said in John 8:36, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”
Sadly, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not agree. He took a hard stand against the truckers and ordered draconian measures be taken to squash the movement. The man who took a knee in solidarity with BLM rioters refused even to meet with the truckers, instead he invoked The Emergencies Act, which is basically a state of war against those who dare to question his mandates.
He froze the corporate accounts of participants. He suspended the vehicle insurance of participants, making it illegal for them to drive. Police in Ottawa used pepper spray and stun grenades and arrested over 200 who were part of the Freedom Convoy. Police also had more than 60 vehicles towed in an attempt to clear out demonstrators who have been protesting in the area for weeks.
They also froze 206 bank and corporate accounts of individuals and companies associated with the protests and shared 253 bitcoin addresses with virtual currency exchangers; and froze a payment processing account valued at $3.8 million.
But it wasn’t just the truckers he went after. Ordinary people who supported the movement were financially targeted and labeled as terrorists. Anyone making a donation of any type to the Convoy had their bank accounts frozen and the cancellation of their credit cards which is monopolized by a few of Canada’s big banks.
But something amazing happened during all the turmoil. Evangelical leader, Jim Garlow, reported the following:
“I cannot put into words what just happened. I had been making calls to the guys on the front line of the Canadian truckers event. One of those I called was Harold Jonker, one of the truck drivers, and co-owner of Jonker Trucking Company of Canada. He took my call, but he did not say a word, because they were praising the Lord. The truckers were standing before Parliament, singing “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” I had to choke back tears as I listened. I so wish I had recorded it. Imagine with me, if you would, a group of truckers singing these words, knowing that their political leader had just taken action that would freeze all their bank funds, making it impossible for them to even make a purchase.
I cannot describe what it was like hearing these saints of God, within harm’s way (thanks to Trudeau), singing confidently, “for still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe,” or “were not the right Man on our side…” followed by “Dost ask who that may be, Christ Jesus, it is He,” or “we tremble not for him (“the Prince of Darkness”), followed by “His rage we can endure,” or “the body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still.” It was momentous.
When the Canadian truckers finished singing that great hymn, written in approximately 1528, they continued with “Amazing Grace.” I could hear them singing, “through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come…”
And from that, they proceeded directly into “The Doxology,” which begins with the words, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
Their emperor-czar ( Trudeau) had just suspended the law of the land, taking away their Constitutional rights.With all that happened in Canada, with all its uncertainty-caused Trudeau’s ominous fiats, they were at peace, even joyous and praising God!”
Prime Minister Trudeau’s heavy-handed tactics to squash peaceful protests in Canada have shocked freedom-loving people around the world. A new poll shows a majority of Americans disapprove of Trudeau’s handling of the truckers’ “freedom convoy” protest. A Convention of States Action’s survey said more than 55% of Americans disapprove of Trudeau’s actions, while only 35.1% approved.
A few days ago, under immense pressure, Trudeau revoked the Emergencies Act. Trudeau may have backed down, but the memories of officers roughing up a small elderly man just for honking his horn, of an elderly woman in a mobility scooter being trampled by a police horse, of leaked audio of cops bragging about the protesters hearing their “jackboots,” of people having their bank accounts frozen just for donating a few dollars to the protesters weeks earlier and more will live on in infamy and make it that much harder for Canada’s government to regain any respect or trust.
The Canadian Freedom Movement is now spreading into other nations. It is spreading because freedom is not a Canadian or American thing. It is a God thing and human hearts in every nation are crying out for freedom. Believers should band together in prayer and ask God to intervene in this noble cause for freedom.
Publishers Note: A group of truckers are making a cross-country trip to protest COVID restrictions in the U.S. Known as “The People’s Convoy”, the truckers left southern California recently and plan to make about 10 stops on their journey to the Washington, D.C. Area. The convoy described itself as “a peaceful and unified transcontinental movement” and is about “freedom and unity,” the organizers said in a statement.