Constitutional Hijinks

The vast majority of the people currently blocking traffic and harassing local businesses and citizens in Ottawa know exactly nothing about how government works or what the Canadian constitution says. Unfortunately, their leaders seem to know less than nothing—that is, they are either deluded or are propagating deliberate lies about “how things work.”

Let’s start with the simplest error. The first demand was to end vaccine mandates at the border which required truckers to be fully vaccinated (2 doses but not 3) or face quarantine when entering from the USA. The American government requires something similar (their quarantine requirements less strict but do exist) for truckers entering from Canada. It is a bilateral agreement and while the federal government could (but won’t) cancel the Canadian requirement, it can do nothing about the US one. Go blockade Washington and good luck to you.

They convoyeurs are also demanding the end to vaccine mandates of all kinds across Canada. The Trudeau government must agree before they will leave. Well, even if they did agree, nothing would happen. Public health orders are provincial matters and just as the federal government can’t make Alberta keep theirs, they can’t make Ontario end them. You’re in the wrong city, go home.

Being wrong about international relations and the division of powers is not all that serious an offence given the whole lack of education about civic and politics in our schools. It’s not like it is something you can pick up from the media or casual reading. While the US constitution runs under 7500 words including all amendments, the Canadian Constitution is over 70 pages long (plus endnotes). Even if you only read the English version (the French is equally compelling), you are faced with something in the order of 50,000 words. And it’s not exactly a thrilling read likely to keep you up at night (quite the opposite from my experience—nothing like a quick read of the BNA Act to cure insomnia).

Still, summaries are available, although there is no Canadian Constitution for Dummies book (there is one for the US constitution—you can draw your own conclusions). Even a cursory review of one of those should liberate your mind from some of the whackier proposals put forward by the current occupation force. The one I like most is the suggestion that the Governor General (along with the Senate—I’ll get to that) should dissolve all the legislatures, federal, provincial, territorial, even municipal I guess and set up a new government made up of the GG, the Senate and members of a Citizen’s Committee which of course would consist mostly of, well, the Convoy leaders.

The GG is a strange but not unusual choice. The far right have always had a weird attraction for the monarchy. French fascists in the 20s were always wanking on about the return of the king (with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien). Father figure images run throughout both monarchist and fascist mythologies. I’ve always ascribed it to unresolved daddy issues.

I have met Mary Simon casually once or twice. She is a smart, determined woman but I can’t quite see her as the Führer. Besides, aren’t they aware that she was appointed on the recommendation of their most beloved politician, Justin Trudeau? As for the Senate, it is a diverse group of people, some chosen on merit, some older ones as a political reward. The current group probably leans a little left. Also they all were appointed, the majority, you guessed it, by the current Prime Minister.

One thing I can tell you about the Canadian Constitution, it is that of a democratic country, first and foremost. But, it seems clear to me, the leaders and, probably, most of their followers aren’t remotely interested in or supportive of democracy. And when they talk about freedom what they really mean is license: freedom embraces responsibility and is guided by reason and virtue; license is choice without restraint.

Choice without restraint – the freedom of the four-year-old and of the narcissist and of the party of the wreckers.

 I could go on but I have other work to do, other responsibilities to fulfil. Perhaps these so-called freedom fighters should go home and do the same.

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash