Dear Editor,
I feel sick to my stomach. I have been watching the debacle in downtown Ottawa, not to mention elsewhere in Canada. I am an immigrant to this country, I chose to come here and start a family with my husband in the early 1980’s. We have always been very grateful for the opportunities afforded us and have enjoyed the fruits of our labours. We chose to retire to the Ottawa area (North Grenville) and feel as though we have joined a caring community.
However, I am very unsettled, after watching the shambles that has occurred over the last three weeks in the capital city of my chosen promised land. I wonder what country I am part of? I do not want to raise the Maple Leaf flag this year, it will remind me of the horrid behaviour of the “Truckers” who flew the flag in protest at the supposed lack of freedom given to Canadians. While I am well aware that a certain type of person from another country has been egging these “Freedom Fighters” on with financial and other support, I still cannot quite rid myself of the feeling that I have been let down by the very country I have so long revered.
Why was the protest allowed in the first place? As a veteran of protests on the Hill, I know the rules governing them; meet on Parliament Hill, maybe speak to some MP’s who support us, march around a route previously agreed with the police, return to the Hill and disperse. Always on foot, and securely policed. I do not perceive this as having happened this time? Why were the trucks allowed so close to Parliament Hill? Wasn’t it a security risk?
I remember when Prince Charles visited the Capital of Canada on 1st July. The crowds that usually thronged the Hill were kept in tightly controlled lines (in very hot sunshine) in case of a security breach. I guess a lot of huge trucks parked for three weeks right in front of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa with their engines running and horns blaring is really quite safe!
To say I am disgusted with the Ontario and Canadian Governments is an understatement. How could this be allowed to happen? It has made world headlines, and I suspect people reading the news were secretly pleased it wasn’t their country undergoing this intense scrutiny.
How do I get my confidence back in this, up till now, wonderful country?
Patricia Habberjam
