Dr. Carmen Celestini

As police officers dismantled the occupied areas of the nation’s capital and arrested protesters who chose not to leave, the protesters adamantly adhered to their conspiracies, fears, and battle plans. Canadians watched as police officers pushed protesters out of Ottawa with a sense of relief, or concern, but each of us wondered if this was truly over. Was the war over or just a battle lost? To accept conspiracy the individual needs to feel as though they are disenfranchised in the political and social spheres, that must hold complete distrust in the institutions like media and government. These beliefs are not going to dissipate and it is something we as a society need to address.

This week we all watched as leaders of the convoy expressed their fears and bravado at the prospect of being arrest. Tara Lich cried. Pat King tried to be strong and streamed his own arrest. Other leaders are on the run, but there is a consistent message from all of the leaders to the protesters “Stand you ground.” This narrative of battling against the “tyranny” of an “oppressive” government, of being the social heroes who can save the nation and the world, is still a valuable social mobilization tool. As the protests and occupation come to an end, the distrust, fear, and anger the protesters feel won’t just dissipate.

The last year has been a time of reflection for the citizens of Canada. We have had to grapple with the graves of residential school students, a part of our history as a nation, we need to account for. The realization that perhaps we are not Canada “the good, the polite, the peacekeepers” led many to call for a cancelling of Canada Day this year. Now we are confronted with upside down flags, desecrated flags, and our fellow citizens occupying our nation’s capital. Does this change how we feel about the flag? Or is this a time for reflection, apologies, and concern?

Fear, distrust in institutions, and a sense of disenfranchisement are the breeding ground for the acceptance of conspiracy theories. A perpetual sense of disaster, a mix of the occult, radical politics, and religion can lead to improvisational conspiracism, that can erupt into violence or political action, like we are witnessing across Canada. As we see images of the protest leaders and their followers being arrested in Ottawa, we must pause and ask how did we get here, and what happens next?

Throughout the “Freedom Convoy” protests we have seen the Canadian flag being flown as a symbol of distress, a rallying call for mobilization, and defaced by swastikas. Unlike our neighbours to the south, Canadians are not a people who are flag waving nationalists, instead the symbol of the flag represents who we are as a nation: kind, polite, police keepers. This shift of symbolic meaning brought forward by the protesters has forced many of us to consider not only our flag, but also who we are as a nation.

John Vause of CNN, looked into the idea of the role of conspiracy theory and disinformation spreading online and culminating in the protests we have seen across Canada. As the protesters blocked border crossings between the US and Canada, rumours began to circulate that the protests would erupt in America. We discussed the role of populism, nationalism, and the role of right wing media in the spreading of not only the conspiracies, but also perpetuating and fanning the fear mongering amongst protesters and their supporters.

As a state of emergency is declared in the province of Ontario and police are removing the blockade at the border in Windsor, Canadians are wondering what the future holds with these potentially volatile protests. Protesters still occupy the nation’s capital and new protests strongholds are developing in New Brunswick, at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, Ontario, in Winnipeg, and in Toronto as the provincial leaders respond in various forms of capitulation and refusals to negotiate.

As the freedom convoy remains firmly entrenched in Ontario cities Ottawa and Windsor and Coutts, Alberta, there are rumblings of convoys being organized in other countries. Maps appear on social media of routes in France, Austria, and America. Rumours have been recently acknowledged by the Department of Homeland Security in the US, that planned convoys may impact the Super Bowl and Coachella before moving to Washington for the State of the Union Address. The standoff in Windsor is impacting the importing of goods, and manufacturing is coming to a standstill, with President Biden offering assistance to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Is this a groundswell of a social movement that will have greater impact internationally? Only time will tell.

NPR spoke to truckers stuck in the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. The “Freedom Convoy” has blocked any traffic from crossing the border between America and Canada for a few days, and as the impact of this action shuts down car manufacturers in both countries, NPR asks who is behind the protest and why?