Before Ottawa
Video footage from the cab of a Saskatchewan truck shows what happened before the Freedom Convoy arrived in the nation's capital.
Because the trucker protest turned into a three-week standoff in Ottawa, the earliest days of that protest have somewhat receded into the background. There was a full week, however, in which trucks were making their way across the country. In which momentum was building. In which an astonishing amount of money was being donated to the Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe campaign, day after day.
When I interview truckers now, they tend to relate an anecdote or two about that first week and then understandably start talking about what happened after they arrived in Ottawa. But I keep asking myself: What did people see and experience? What did they say to each other? What challenges did they surmount?
Recently, while reviewing the transcript of a Saskatchewan trucker I interviewed late last year, I noticed a remark made by his wife. Sitting in the passenger seat beside him on the first day of their journey, she recorded her first Facebook “Live.” This is a video that is broadcast in real time (as opposed to one that gets recorded and is uploaded to social media later - perhaps after being edited in some manner).
For the moment, I’m going to call this couple Ted and Sally (not their real names). By the end of the day, she’d tried a couple more times and had gotten the hang of things. As they traveled across the country, these videos (which were automatically saved online) gave friends and family a glimpse of the Freedom Convoy experience.
By the time they arrived in Ottawa, Sally had shot nearly two dozen of these videos. To a journalist striving to describe/recreate those historic days, they’re priceless:
They show other vehicles in the convoy.
They show mile after mile of supporters on the side of the road, as well as on overpasses.
They record what Ted and Sally said in the moment. (No need to rely on fallible memories.)
They also record the remarks of other truckers chatting to one another over the radio.
This is amazing stuff.
Looking forward to seeing some of these videos - my only wish is that more Canadians will be willing to watch some of this true and accurate reactions of truly Canadian Supporters that provided the encouragement to the Convoy Members that fuelled the RAGING FIRE that helped sustain everyone over the full length of the FREEDOM CONVY’S COMPLETE TRIP- FROM HOME TILl RETURN TO THEIR HOME! - A HEART FELT THANK YOU TO ALlL WHO ENDURED THE SUFFERING OF STANDING IN THAT COLD CANADIAN WEATHER TO DISPLAY THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT! - My love and appreciation for all of you will never die or even fade - THANk EACH AND EVERYONE Of YOU!!
Great that this record is available. The amazing amount of money collected is another question Donna. I did receive a refund from GoFundMe but I think there is a large amount unaccounted for. The trucker i eventually supported directly never received anything from the “fundraising”. A Freedom fighter in my group was asking clear questions on Twitter to the organizers of where the money collected went, but never got a direct answer.