Canadian guest author: The True North Strong and Free
Our brother Gabe on the truckers convoy and the future.
Welcome article for new readers.
ExcessDeathsAU is not on social media: I rely on you to share articles.
Dear Readers,
I am honoured to host a guest article from our brother
.You may know him from his Substack work at
opposing digital tyranny. However Gabe’s background, and what he did during the covid mandates in Canada is nothing short of remarkable (a humble guy, he will not like me saying these things but I will say them anyway – he really has a backbone of steel).What happened in Canada and Australia during Emergency powers was similar. Both members of the Five Eyes, our nations were subjected to the global covid military operation1 in ways that were deliberately violent and humiliating, particularly to those of us who did not comply. Canada and Australia are both geographically large nations with population centres separated by long distances. The tactics our governments used to subjugate us were therefore rather similar.
Languishing at the end of the world in the West Australian heat behind a closed state border, January 2022 was probably one of the bleakest times of my life. Yet, hope emerged from the frozen north. Our Canadian brothers and sisters came to life and gave us hope when we thought that all hope was lost. Even now, words fail to express my gratitude to the truckers for restoring hope for the entire world and to me personally.
We saw you in your snow suits, waving on overpasses in the cold – the trucks honking across the frozen plains. We saw the children with their home-made signs. We watched your speeches and heard your prayers. We laughed at the memes.
We also saw what they did to you. They did the same things to us.
Now, in 2025, both our nations are once again being torched. I wrote the below article in 2024 as a ‘funeral requiem’ for Australia. However, what surprised me were the number of Canadians who emailed me and said: ‘this could have been written about Canada – word-for-word.’
At the end of his article Gabe asks us to pray for Canada. The Patron Saint of Canada is Saint Joseph, and he has been Canada’s Patron Saint for 400 years. Saint Joseph is also the Patron Saint of work and vocations. In big countries like Canada and Australia, truckers are important. Without them, the nation stops. There are also other critical vocations on which civilisation depends.2
Remember this for next time.
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
With thanks to Gabe, the people of Canada, and Australian musician Matt Finlay at
(Kulture and ).Yours Faithfully,
ExcessDeathsAU
Article structure
Gabe’s Testimony
Background and Betrayal
Termination
Freedom convoy
3a. The Buildup
3b. The Feeling
3c. What most people didn’t see
3d. The Crackdown
Musical interlude by Australian artist Matt Finlay: Thin Blue Line.
Post COVID-19
5a. Troubles Ahead
5b. Trade War
Gabe’s testimony
1. Background and Betrayal
I think it's important to start with the fact that Canada as much of the world sees it now is very different than the Canada many of us grew up with. While I can admit to being naive about many things, there has been an undeniable radical shift within living memory. Behind the many issues that bring the Canadian 'freedom movement' together, there is first and foremost a sense of betrayal.
Canadian self-perception was and still partially is of a country of hard-working responsible people who value fair play. Many people unfairly characterize Canadians as docile, but in truth it's quite different from that. Regardless of where they stand on many issues that divide us today, most Canadians are willing to endure difficulties and take the long view on many problems. In some circumstances, this is an admirable trait, but it can be disastrous in others. This is largely because Canadians have been generally fairly trusting of not only our governments, but also many institutions throughout society.
This is why, in my opinion, that the minority of Canadians who recognized the covid tyranny for what it was, were met with an overwhelming amount of resistance from their fellow citizens. To oppose lockdowns, on-and-off school closures, masking, and even vaccine mandates was to be up against the very fabric of Canadian life, as the majority understood it. This of course, was fabricated by a generous amount of coordinated international propaganda, so we can't place the blame entirely on the public. Those interested in resisting, nevermind preventing or opposing the agenda, they were left to be frustrated and isolated in many cases. This is because the self-perception of Canadians as responsible and intelligent isn't actually wrong. There were many great Canadians who stood tall and tried to push against the tide. I am proud of many of my fellow Canucks who endured the humiliation, abuse, and even life-destroying consequences of pushing back against the terror.
The most concrete example of the Canadian capacity to stand firm for ourselves would be the Freedom Convoy of Winter 2022. It is difficult to describe the bleakness that many of us felt prior to the Freedom Convoy. The totality of the agenda, and the pressure of the situation made things look all but unstoppable. There were glimmers of hope prior to the convoy, but often they did not get the recognition they deserved.
For me personally, one of the crucial turning-points was the hearing MP Derek Sloan hosted to let Byram Bridle and Dr Patrick Phillips push back against the narrative.
MP Derek Sloan Raises Concerns Over Censorship of Doctors and Scientists. COVID-19: Canada Responds. June 17, 2021. (39m 08s). Click here to watch video.
Even then, it was hard to see the end of many of the impositions taking place. It sincerely bothers me what many truly great Canadians have gone through and haven't recovered from in opposing the full-spectrum abuse from our government.
2. Termination
During the Covid Crisis, I worked for Canadian Blood Services in application support for the Canadian Transplant Registry. I had only been there a few years at that point and was just beginning to understand the Canadian medical world as well as medical ethics. I can personally attest that working alongside brilliant hard-working people trying to make a difference for patients was incredibly rewarding, but took a very dark turn during these years. One of the things that gave me hope that CBS could get on the right path was that our training materials emphasized and highlighted adverse effects from blood products and their impact on patients. The CBS was created after the fallout from many deaths during the tainted blood tragedy. Reality did not match up with my high hopes.
By the time CBS announced that due to the declaration of a pandemic we would be working from home, I was already very closely following the discussion around Covid-19. As someone who had no experience with the medical freedom movement at all, I had a lot of catching up to do. Remote work isolated me and didn't help my already panicked state of mind. I gained a great deal of weight, more than I already struggled with. While I certainly couldn't expect CBS to single-handedly oppose the entire covid agenda, I fully expected them to to at least stick to their vision: "To help every patient. To match every need. To Serve every Canadian". Unfortunately this is not how things worked out in the world of Canadian organ transplantation. Much later, Sheila Lewis would die after being refused a life-saving organ transplant due to her vaccination status.
As I mentioned earlier, in 2021 I was working remotely, and at the time, we all seemed quite well equipped to do so indefinitely. When the covid-19 mandates were announced I was quite shocked. I remember telling my manager at the time that I felt the policy was a gross violation of medical ethics and was a bad sign about the future of the organization. I was reminded that vaccines were already required for many things in Canada.
In a desperate hope to keep employment at an already difficult time in my life I chose to apply for a religious exemption. This was counter to the broadcasted advice of Rocco Galati, a famous lawyer who was prominent at the time. The theory was that by requesting an exemption (exercising your rights) you were giving the organization an 'out'. I felt differently. Due to suffering a rare (for my age) stroke years prior, I felt I should have been able to apply for either a religious or medical exemption. What dissuaded me from even attempting a medical exemption was the fact that word was already getting out that those were being withheld from everyone who hasn't already had an allergic reaction to the shots.
By requesting a religious exemption I was put on unpaid leave for two weeks to "consider my decision" following what amounted to a "struggle session" where HR would ask questions about my beliefs. Still quite naively, I answered these candidly and honestly which concluded with me being terminated. It is important to note that this left me without access to employment insurance, which Canadians have to pay into. Being terminated by a vaccine mandate was considered being 'fired with cause' and would make you ineligible for financial support.
I was grateful that I was at least able to document my experience. I shared my documents with the Ontario Civil Liberties Association which shared my story. My story was then covered by LifeSiteNews and Blacklock's Reporter. Much later, I became aware that a pastor in BC Rev. John Kaptein was withholding blood donations over my termination on religious grounds.
In truth, I never expected to be made whole. It was clear to me by the time of my termination that Canada was very unlikely to ever face the truth of the Covid Crisis. In my experience, by the time vaccine mandates came around people had already had their shots for months and felt that Covid was largely behind them. This meant that those who refused these mandates were seen as little more than ‘petty selfish holdouts’. I am aware of some legal victories in this area, although it seems that those in the best position to be made whole were those who were part of a union prior to mandates, but I was not in that situation.
After my termination I spent time trying to give my time to make a difference. While I was already quite active anonymously, I figured I had an opportunity to speak out since I had already lost almost all I could lose at that point. I am grateful for Mathew Crawford for hiring me during one of the very challenging times. He is a dear mentor and friend and it was a pleasure to contribute to the
project.3. Freedom convoy
3a. The Buildup
I first heard of the potential of the Freedom Convoy from a fellow local activist weeks before it started. Truthfully, I didn't expect anything to come of it. At the time I couldn't imagine how many isolated Canadians there were across the country just trying to find a way to push back.
What's easy to forget in hindsight is that the convoy didn't start in Ottawa, but rather there were massive convoys driving across our giant country to reach Ottawa. This meant that before the protest in Ottawa even began there was a great deal of support and buss going around. There would be people calling in to truckers driving, and some of those calls were heartbreaking to listen to. It was an overwhelming mix of hope and sadness to recognize that many of us thinking we were (essentially) alone actually weren't. Many of us have similar tragic stories: families torn apart, lost loved ones, and many other difficult challenges brought on by the covid response.
3b. The Feeling
What both participants and observers of the Freedom Convoy will remember is how fun it was. A far cry from the 'occupation' that the media characterizes it as, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. It was surreal to experience the stereotypical Canadian kindness that many of us worried had gone cold forever. The convoy didn't just show that there were still kind Canadians out there, but that we had the chance to be the same way.
There were many streamers covering the convoy in real-time so you could either go yourself or watch it all from home. I had the opportunity of briefly appearing on Viva Frei's livestream while I was there. I shouted "now's the time to stand up and be counted!" because truly, every single voice really did count.
I took the time to have conversations with people either waiting in their trucks or walking around. I got to talk with people all the way from Alberta and hear their stories. Parents, grandparents, all kinds of family members describing what their families had been put through. It was a great opportunity to learn the stories of people the media chose not to cover.
For many people, the covid years weren't the first thing that our government did to hurt many of us, but it was certainly the last straw for a great number of people. Any trust that we would stereotypically hold was lost and likely will never recover. What made the Freedom Convoy so unique was the fact that it was a real opportunity for freedom-loving Canadians to share their perspectives directly with each other, rather than it being filtered through the media or public consensus. Those who made it to Ottawa got to experience what true patriot love really looks like in reality, rather than just stated in our national anthem.
3c. What most people didn’t see
While the media was reporting the protest as an "occupation" and doing everything it could to spin things as gloomy and dark, there was a real spirit of giving. Various stalls were set up on various days handing out all kinds of warm food and drink, which really helped given how cold it was. In the downtown core, it was often as cold as -22 C, but it was hard to notice when you began to take everything in.
I remember the People's Party of Canada had a tent setup giving out pancakes. But the giving went both ways. Once a fuel embargo on Trucks was put in place, suddenly a jerry can protest was born.
The combination of light-hearted humorous resistance was a common theme you would see everywhere. Most notably, there were even bouncy castles for children. What I found most captivating was all the signatures, notes, and even drawings left on the trucks.
3d. The crackdown
The Canadian political establishment had a crisis on their hands. They were publicly embarrassed by a massive non-violent protest that shattered what was previously an oppressive illusion of consensus.
The immediate wellspring of donations to the convoy were seized and almost 20 million was raised in the two main fundraisers. I spent some time maintaining the Campfire Wiki page for the event making sure to include the livestream coverage, speeches, and some related links regarding the event as time went on. What was most concerning is that retaliation against the Freedom Convoy and its supporters wasn't just smears, fines and arrests, but also other exra-legal measures.
What could have been a success ended in disaster as hackers published all the donors’ information as a website.
Making the rounds on Twitter was the release of information about supporters which was given free reign on the platform. Eventually this lead to retaliation against those who donated even relatively small amounts. This was so egregious that even Ilhan Omar tweeted:
I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such an insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed. It's unconscionable and journalists need to do better.
This is an excellent example of how political polarization in the public can be manipulated to undermine everyone's rights.
This mass doxxing certainly opened up many vulnerable Canadians to retaliation in an already polarized and dangerous situation. A hacktivist group Distributed Denial of Secrets not only hosts (and distributes) the supporters’ information, but also has it tagged as 'facism'. In an environment where people are being cut off from employment due to their medical choices, adding vigilante justice on top of it is a particularly grievous means of suppressing dissent. When attacks from almost every direction weren't enough to stop the Freedom Convoy, eventually Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, previously known as the War Measures Act.
Most infamously, while staying at a nearby hotel our Royal Canadian Mounted Police were saying to each other "Time for the protestors to hear our jackboots on the ground". It seems that this was an understatement given that an elderly lady was trampled by an officer riding horseback.
It is important to note that while participants and supporters of the convoy were experiencing a wide variety of threats that hardly anyone is prepared for, the Canadian government used unprecedented powers to brutalize the protestors and freeze bank accounts of people involved. In the aftermath it is an open question if (unsanctioned) protest is actually legal in Canada given all the new powers that many levels of government have seized during this time.
4. Musical interlude by Australian artist Matt Finlay: Thin Blue Line.
(EDAU): Australian musician Matt Finlay3 part of Kulture4 (see
) is in the state of Victoria, home to arguably some of the longest (and most brutal) covid lockdowns in the world. (Archive article). We must never forget what our own police and military did to us - ‘just following orders.’Please support Matt’s extraordinary work here.
5. Post COVID-19
5a. Troubles Ahead
The most difficult part of the post covid-19 era for freedom-loving Canadians is that many have given up a lot without being recognized, never mind made whole. Canadian society turned on the unvaccinated to make them a scapegoat for the inevitable harms caused by lockdowns, school closures, and mandates. Tragically still much of the public still suffers the delusion that they saved lives. Without any real political or social representation, those who sacrificed to resist covid measures are in a difficult situation.
While the cost of living rises, a great number of Canadians are thrust into poverty. Job losses, inflation, and social isolation are enough to cause a wide spectrum of lifetime damage. Things begin to look particularly dire when one recognizes the explosion of euthanasia in Canada. While the sociological phenomenon known as 'covid-19' may be over, Canadians still have a lot of troubles ahead.
5b. Trade War
Canada and our largest trading partner, the United States are currently embroiled in a trade war. The Trump administration hopes to balance their trade with Canada in an abrupt and destructive way that is already having profound impact on the Canadian economy. This has given Canada's political leaders an opportunity to leverage faux patriotism to make a radical 180 on Canadian identity.
Far from what Justin Trudeau deemed a "post-national state" we are now suddenly a ‘country with a distinct character worth preserving’ in the eyes of its leadership. Far from our leaders actually seeing the light, it is nothing more than a convenient opportunity for our political class to project their failures on a foreign country. Those who opposed the imposition of the covid agenda are now beginning to see many parallels between the brewing trade war and the covid-19 government response.
Most conveniently, those who've been concerned about Canadian liberty and prosperity can be deemed 'unpatriotic' for not marching in lockstep with "Team Canada". This rhetorical trap means that there is hardly any room for a serious discussion of Canada's problems beyond blaming Donald Trump. In addition to this it allows our political leaders to drape themselves in a patriotic fervor that they themselves would have stigmatized and condemned prior to 2025. In doing so, a powerful illusion is being crafted just like during the declaration of a PHEC 5 years ago.
My personal prediction is that Canadian leaders are going to use this opportunity to seize even more control over the future of the Canadian economy. Politics is a lot easier when you can choose, reward, and punish participants.
I appreciate the opportunity to voice my concerns here. I would ask that you pray for your Canadian allies, it looks like the tough times are only beginning. While many great Canadians are facing many challenges, I am optimistic that we will be able to pull together and work to make a better future. The Freedom Convoy shocked and inspired the world once, we can hope that there will be more good surprises in the future.
Je vous salue, Saint Joseph, patron du Canada, protecteur et gardien de notre patrie bien-aimée. Gardez sous votre souverain patronage, en cette heure de crise, l'unité, la foi et l'intégrité de vos enfants, le peuple Canadien, d'un océan à l'autre. Amen.5
Matt’s testimony:
I'm in Victoria. When all my prior musical heroes either remained silent or came out in support of tyranny in 2020 I gave up on waiting for someone else push back with their music. I started self-releasing music and videos to give a voice on issues that I wasn't hearing anyone else address in their art. I hoped to help plant seeds for that friend who might not read or watch a doco you sent them but maybe they would listen to a song.
Kulture is a collective of artists willing to push back with their work. At Kulture we look to support those artists and give them a platform for their art when many of us were getting our work censored or accounts removed from other platforms.
I removed all my music from spotify, etc. because I want promote the Kulture - those other platforms are parasites feeding off the artists work.
Please see Matt’s interview here:
Hail, St. Joseph, Patron of Canada, protector and guardian of our beloved homeland. Keep under your sovereign patronage, in this hour of crisis, the unity, the faith and integrity of your children, the Canadian people, from sea to sea. Amen.
 | A guest post by
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Open comments thread to interact with Gabe. Please read legal disclaimer about comments threatening offensive violence: https://vicparkpetition.substack.com/about
Some notes on the 2022 Convoy.
I was lucky as I was a single operator services provider in a field exempted from the lockdowns.
I saw a lot on my travels.
I happened to drive the 401 on the day the US truckers were coming through to go to Ottawa.
There were dozens to hundreds of supporters on Every Bridge along the 401! waving Canadian flags and many dressed in red winter coats (it was very cold that day). There were 200 people standing on the highway shoulder at Woodstock (which is illegal) waving flags. It was a miraculous spontaneous event. The best I have seen for a fallen officer is 2 squad cars on 2 bridges.
My wife had 2 surgeries during covid in 2021 and 2022. Despite the medical association claims of hospitals being full all I saw were mostly empty rooms, definitely no overflow.
In Ottawa I have a friend who lives downtown and he walks to work each day. He walked past the truckers and confirmed they were entirely peaceful. They shovelled snow off the sidewalks, their food concessions gave out free food to the homeless who filled up their knapsacks in the morning to last the day. He never had any fears from the Truckers.
The conservative opposition met with the Truckers. Liberal leader Trudeau hid from the truckers and was "taken to a secure location".
I used to be a regular blood donor and called Canadian Blood Services in 2021 to ask if they would be separating vaxxed blood. They said no, the vaxxed blood was safe (which as we all know now was a lie). I was a young man when the AIDS tainted blood scandal broke and remember how the Red Cross and governments tried to weasel out of their responsibility. Canadian blood services was the successor to RC but are just as bad. For that reason I wasn't going to be a guinea pig for a new covid shot however my wife and her BFF did the research and came to us hubbies and said we are not taking that s__t. That sealed the deal for me, no vax shots.
It took a year or so for me to figure out Covid was an effort to pave the way to one world government run by the corporate elite.
I donated $2000 to the trucker convoy, got a refund from give-send-go for an unallocated portion but despite several requests of Benjamin Dicter on his substack he has never responded with an accounting of where $20,000,000 went. I know Go Fund Me sent their portion to the god damn government however I feel the trucker's management needed to come clean on the money side.
I was a lucky one, no vax. no covid, mandates didn't affect me. I am grateful the good lord looked out for us. The crime committed by the Canadian Government needs to be tried in the courts but probably never will.