The 2022 Freedom Convoy was one of the largest grassroots protests in Canadian history, bringing together citizens from across the country to stand against government overreach. Thousands of hardworking Canadians—truckers, small business owners, and families—rallied in Ottawa to peacefully oppose vaccine mandates and lockdown policies that devastated jobs, shuttered businesses, and infringed on personal freedoms.
Instead of addressing the legitimate concerns of these Canadians, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and MP Alistair MacGregor smeared the protesters with false and inflammatory accusations to justify extreme government crackdowns.
Singh disgracefully claimed the protest was "led by those that claim the superiority of the white bloodline"—an outrageous and unfounded attack meant to delegitimize the movement. MacGregor echoed these smears, stating the convoy was being “used to promote extremism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate.” Yet no evidence supported these claims. In reality, the convoy was a diverse and peaceful demonstration, where protesters waved Canadian flags, sang the national anthem, cleaned the streets, and even provided food for the homeless. Many truckers were immigrants and people of all backgrounds who simply wanted their rights restored.
MacGregor also pushed another misleading narrative, calling for an inquiry into the convoy’s fundraising, insinuating that foreign actors were behind it. Yet even mainstream media outlets, such as CTV News, debunked this claim, reporting that 88% of donations came from Canadian citizens. Despite this clear evidence, neither MacGregor nor Singh ever retracted or corrected their false statements.
The Real Government Overreach
-
Weaponizing emergency powers: Instead of listening to Canadians, Trudeau’s Liberal government, backed by the NDP, invoked the Emergencies Act—an unprecedented and unjustified move that froze the bank accounts of law-abiding protesters and donors without due process.
-
Silencing dissent: Government-funded media and Liberal-aligned politicians worked in lockstep to demonize peaceful demonstrators, ignoring the real concerns of Canadians suffering under government-imposed restrictions.
-
Ignoring real threats to public safety: While Trudeau and Singh fixated on demonizing truckers, violent crime and repeat offender releases skyrocketed due to their soft-on-crime policies.
Conservatives Stand with Canadians
The Conservative Party has been the only voice in Parliament standing up for the rights and freedoms of Canadians. Pierre Poilievre supported the convoy’s right to peaceful protest from the start, calling out Trudeau’s divisive rhetoric and NDP-backed government overreach. Under a Conservative government, Canadians will never be vilified for standing up for their rights, and no prime minister will ever again use emergency powers to silence peaceful dissent.
Canadians deserve a government that respects their freedoms, listens to their concerns, and puts their interests first—not one that spreads false narratives to justify authoritarian crackdowns.