Do These Words Mean Anything?
The truckers' freedom rhetoric came straight from our national anthem.
The lyrics of Canada’s national anthem are straightforward, and can be found on a government website here.
the True North strong and free…we stand on guard for thee…God keep our land glorious and free
Those words are supposed to mean something. During the Ottawa protest, truckers and their supporters made frequent reference to our national anthem. They sang it often, sometimes loudly. In doing so, they reminded us what this country is supposed to be about.
There’s nothing glorious about government-mandated discrimination against a minority of the population. There’s nothing free about being obliged to show your papers to the cashier at a burger joint month after month after month.
Another line in our anthem says: With glowing hearts we see thee rise… The photo below shows some of the equipment used during the madcap hockey games the truckers played on a section of Wellington Street. The sign was presumably left by a supporter. Or perhaps it was an expression of gratitude from the truckers themselves, given the endless encouragement they received from ordinary Canadians.
