BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is about the convoy protest in Ottawa.
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In the various articles I have been reading about the truckers convoy, the word 'freedom' has been heard repeatedly in a great variety of contexts.
One sign stated, “Freedom from mandates, my choice, my body.”
Here in Canada, you do indeed have a choice whether to get vaccinated or not.
Neither the federal government nor provincial government has issued a mandate that states you must be vaccinated or you will be fined or jailed.
It is true that there are certain jobs where vaccines have been mandated.
One such example would be both the American government and the Canadian governments have mandated truckers crossing the border need to be vaccinated.
This carefully examined decision was made to prevent major disruptions if too many non-vaccinated truck drivers transmitted COVID to companies on both sides of the border.
But, all truckers still have the complete freedom not to get vaccinated if that is their individual choice.
One trucker, in very disparaging terms, blamed Trudeau for losing his job as a trucker.
This trucker cannot blame Trudeau if he is no longer driving his truck across the border.
He, and he alone, made the decision not to get vaccinated and to quit his job.
Why did he quit his job as he could have continued to drive his truck across Canada?
We learn early we are always free to choose, but all our choices have consequences.
Also, if this trucker does not want by abide by the rules in his specific industry, here in Canada, where we are guided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he has the complete freedom to find another job anywhere in Canada. Try that in China, etc.
When the 195 countries in the world were ranked according to freedoms, Canada scored an astounding 99 out of 100 and ranked fourth.
Much of the funding for the convoy comes from the U.S. The reasons stated by some for donating was to help increase our freedoms in Canada — how ironic when the U.S. ranked 58th on the international freedom scale.
If this tiny minority of particular truckers truly believe in promoting freedoms, why have they, for two long weeks, profoundly curtailed the freedoms of people in Ottawa?
Some 15,000 truckers are still on the job, working tirelessly to ensure we all have food on the table.
Ninety per cent of the truckers chose to get a jab to protect themselves, their loved ones and others in the community.
Are convoy occupiers not aware that, since we all share the same air, the sooner everyone gets vaccinated, the sooner COVID numbers will decline to the point where restrictions will be lifted?
So actually if the occupiers of Ottawa want restrictions lifted and have slightly more freedoms than they already enjoy, then they need to do the exact opposite of what they are doing now. They need to readily accept a one-second jab in the arm rather than stubbornly refuse to get another vaccination.
That being said, it occurred to me that all the rules and regulations that governments have enacted have all been legislated to ensure the safety, well-being and health of people, as well as the ecological health of our environment and wildlife.
It seems to be that the rules and regulations have increased my freedoms.
For example, I can walk freely on the sidewalk and not have to worry about being mowed down by a motorcyclist.
I have the freedom to eat in any restaurant without having to worry about breathing in thousands of carcinogens from secondhand smoke.
I do not have to worry on my hikes about coming face-to-face with an individual legally and openly carrying a firearm.
You get my drift.
So convoy occupiers, if your beliefs are not based on compelling scientific research nor the regulations that actuality do exist in Canada, but the misinformed rantings of a tiny minority of conspiracy theorists and anti-government hate groups, it is time to go home and do your homework.
Gwen Petreman
Barrie
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