A Seismic Event

New book presents compelling philosophical & legal commentary.

There’s a brand new book about the Freedom Convoy, titled 210° Celsius: 16 Ways the Truckers Ignited Canada for the Long Haul. Barry W. Bussey, its author, is a distinguished lawyer. Born in Newfoundland, he currently practices in Peterborough, Ontario.

I’m only halfway through this volume, but can already say it’s a goldmine of great quotes. Mr Bussey cares deeply about our fundamental human rights, and is alarmed at the degree to which pandemic measures infringed upon those rights.

Early on, he explains that the book title is a reference to the fact that

High pressured diesel sprayed into a truck engine with compressed air at 210° Celsius automatically roars the engine to life. The Canadian government’s compression and suppression of freedom reached autoignition of the citizenry. Trucks crossed the country to Ottawa to say, Enough is enough!’

The glowing blurbs/endorsements from prominent people that appear at the beginning of this book demonstrate that Mr Bussey has done a splendid job of persuading third parties that the Freedom Convoy was no ordinary protest. In the words of law professor Bruce Pardy:

In the life of a nation, some moments stand out. The Freedom Convoy was one of those moments. In compliant Canada, the Truckers shattered the COVID trance…the Truckers’ peaceful presence in Ottawa has inspired Canadians to find their way out of the abyss. [all bolding here and below by me]

Lawyer Daniel Freiheit says “the truckers transformed the Canadian political, social and legal landscape.” Philosophy professor Angus Menuge and Aaron Wudrick from the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, both describe the Convoy as a “seismic event.”

Derek Sloan, a former member of Parliament, says:

The Freedom Convoy was a watershed moment in Canadian history…it was the most independent and organic grassroots protest to date in our country.

Meanwhile, economist Tanner Hnidey says the book:

makes us aware of the freedom we have because of the truckers; it makes us aware of the freedoms we would’ve lost without them.

As more time passes, a fuller picture emerges. The truth becomes more vivid, harder to deny. I’ve observed that the truckers who drove south to Regina from Saskatoon in order to join the Freedom Convoy traversed a highway officially know as the Louis Riel Trail.

When he was hanged in 1885, Louis Riel was considered a rebellious criminal by the Canadian government. A hundred years later, schools and roadways are named after him. In Manitoba, Louis Riel Day is a paid holiday.

We don’t know how people will regard the Freedom Convoy 100 years from now. But 210° Celsius suggests the mainstream media caricature narrative will fade away long before that.