Go home, and then let’s talk

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/02/2022 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To the person in the pickup truck who intentionally rammed into my friends last weekend, as well as anyone else in the convoy who wants to listen:

We didn’t get a chance to talk over all the shouting, but there’s a few things that I want you to know.

You probably assume I’m some stereotype of a latte-sipping liberal or Laurentian elitist. But while I’ve lived in downtown Ottawa for the past five years and I love this community, I’m originally from Winnipeg. I’ve been working at a desk for the past few years, but I drove a forklift for a living before that. I’m the first in my entire extended family to go to university, and I have two uncles who drive trucks for a living.

I mention these because the way you talk, this whole thing seems to be more about your supposed status as a “blue-collar” resistance to white-collar downtown residents than about masks and vaccines. But, we actually have a lot more in common than you think.

Also, you say you dislike Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. At least that we can agree on — I voted against him three times.

Our governments have failed us these past two years. They failed to prepare for or to support us during the first year-and-a-half of the pandemic, then dropped the ball completely on Omicron. Plenty of people were told they were “essential workers,” but weren’t paid to match and weren’t prioritized for vaccines.

And before the pandemic happened, our governments failed to invest in such areas as health-care capacity, education, child care or elder care — which left us flat-footed when COVID-19 hit.

You’re angry? I’m angry, too.

But your approach — to clog up my adopted home of Ottawa, constantly blast your horns and intimidate residents and workers — isn’t making you any more free. COVID-19 doesn’t care how loud you honk: it ain’t listening.

I know not all the people who joined the convoy are racist lunatics, but if you want to worry about shadowy groups with nefarious intentions plotting against us, you’re better off worrying about who organized this convoy, not public-health officials. People like overt white supremacist Pat King, or far-right western separatists like Tamara Lich.

And like it or not, this convoy has given license to people who fly Nazi flags or who are from hate groups like Canada First — people who have committed racist, homophobic and transphobic harassment against locals, and whoever tried to burn down an apartment building two blocks from my home and trap everyone inside.

You’re not necessarily a bad person. But you’re being duped by racist grifters who are playing on your fears and anxieties and your desire for this pandemic to end.

We all want COVID-19 over, but this isn’t helping. We get through this by taking care of each other: wearing masks, getting vaccinated and helping each other out. A lot of downtown residents stepped up these past weeks to escort each other to work or appointments, deliver groceries and meals to people afraid to go outside, and donate to homeless shelters. That’s the kind of energy we need right now.

Don’t get me wrong; some people should be held to account. Politicians could expand hospital capacity, provide financial support for struggling people and small businesses, and require employers to provide paid sick days. They could help prevent future waves by requiring Big Pharma to open up vaccine patents to ensure the world gets vaccinated, reducing the likelihood of new variants.

While the convoy is making life hell for people who live and work here, the real elites – the billionaires and landlords – are laughing all the way to the bank. Did you know that in the first year of the pandemic, 47 Canadian billionaires added a whopping $78 billion to their collective net wealth? Think of how much help we could have provided to anyone financially harmed by the pandemic.

Instead of seeing how the actual elite have taken the money and run, you’ve let some pretty nasty people focus your attention on nonsensical conspiracy theories and pointless cultural grievances.

This is a challenging time, but there are plenty of us willing to have difficult but respectful conversations with you to learn from each other. But, first, you have to go home. Ottawa residents are exhausted, and we need some time to recover and clean up our community. Go home, and then let’s talk.

Brian Latour is a former Winnipegger who has been living in downtown Ottawa for the past five years.