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COMPLICITY OF THE COPS DURING THE OCCUPATION OF OTTAWA by Bill Lee

According to abundant media accounts, the police were providing, to the variety of leaderships of the convoy gangs that took over Ottawa, a nice stream of information on actions planned by the different police services. These were members of the police who were supposed to be protecting the public from this bunch of thugs. An article in the investigative journal, Press Progress (2022) states that:


    Top convoy organizers were receiving leaked information that tipped them off to the plans of Ottawa Police throughout the convoy occupation, according to testimony from the convoy leaders’ lawyer. Keith Wilson, a lawyer for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, who represented convoy leaders and sometimes acted as their spokesperson, testified Wednesday he was aware of police leaking operational plans to convoy organizers.
“You were getting information from sympathetic police?” Paul Champ, a lawyer representing Ottawa residents, asked Wilson.
“That is correct,” Wilson replied.
“Throughout?” Champ asked.
“Yes,” Wilson again replied.”

Pretty shocking stuff. There were certainly stories of individual coppers “making nice” with numerous individual “protestors” at various times. But, aiding and abetting this creepy gang of anti-vaccination and anti-mask mandate zealots, Western Separatists, gun nuts and some politically illiterate dopes who thought they should (and could) be handed the keys to government, is a very different matter. They had convinced themselves (but no one else apparently, even some of the “freedom lovers” thought they were wackos) that they could run all things in the Federation, in company with our unelected Senate and equally unelected Governor General. These are some, though not all, of the components of the strange conglomeration of malcontents and misfits that made up the Ottawa partiers.

But let us return to the issue of various coppers making common cause with this incoherent but destructive gang. Many right-thinking people will, of course, be shaking their heads in wonder and disappointment while others will be found shaking their fists in anger at the betrayal of their oath to serve and protect the public. But, on the other hand, I seriously doubt whether the, frankly not really very shocking, news will pry the countless media or the many enthusiastic true believers in the “law enforcement” institution away from their fealty. They will continue to write outraged letters to the editor descrying any questioning of the police.
Nevertheless, it remains important to spread the word about who at least some members of the copper community were supporting during the miserable occupation of Ottawa and some border
crossings. I said “some” but keep in mind that the information came from a lawyer for some of the insurgents, not from any of the men and women in blue. The strength of the para-military mentality that festers behind the blue line is a scary thing. It is a culture of “us against them”, the “them” being any citizen or citizen’s group, which raise even the mildest criticism of the “force”. The habit of closing ranks against ideas of reform is a clear demonstration of how dysfunctional the culture is. And it is indicative of how serious a threat to democracy that culture poses. Some acted as enablers of the wacko ‘freedom convoy” but others, who had to know, kept silent. These members of the various police membership have something in common with Doug Ford1, the premier of Ontario who refuses to testify at the enquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act. He and his vile minion Lecce, as well as the coppers, are arrogant and not keen about democratic processes. Both (see foot note below) indeed represent reactionary elements in our society, and thus, a threat to the public good.
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Resources
DeClerq, K. (2022). “Ontario passes back-to-work bill on eve of education workers' strike”. CTV News. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-legislation-imposing-contract-on-education-workers-set-to-pass-today-1.6136954. November 3.
LeBrun, L. (2022). “Sympathetic Police’ Leaked Information to Convoy Leaders, Convoy Lawyer Testifies”. Press Progress. https://pressprogress.ca/sympathetic-police-leaked-information-to-convoy-leaders-convoy-lawyer-testifies/. November 2.
1 As this article is being written, Mr. Ford (who has always been loud and proud about his support for police) and his minions have just rammed through legislation that will strip 55,000 education workers of the FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT to strike (DeClerq, 2022) in the face of his government’s demand that they accept a deal that will limit them to a 1&1/2 to 2&1/2 percent raise at a time when they are losing the value of their wages, even though they have fallen behind since the last contract was signed, they now make about 11% less, and will lose more due to the serious inflation the world is facing.

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