Convoy’s purpose still unclear, but Poilievre benefitted

As downtown Ottawa braces for the return of some protesters on the anniversary of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy', the message and goals of the three week occupation of Wellington Street remains unknown. What is clear, however, is Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre tapped into the anger and frustration to his benefit, according to one Carleton political science professor.

Though the protesters expressed many different grievances – vaccines, masks, economic challenges, pandemic restrictions – their overall goals and motivations all jumbled together.

Jonathan Malloy, professor of Political Science at Carleton University, said on The Sam Laprade Show that while the spark of the protest was likely restrictions on unvaccinated truckers at the Canada-US border, there was at least one unifying motivation for everyone who made their way in front of Parliament Hill: Trudeau.

“There's no doubt that the biggest thing motivating most people downtown was a dislike of Justin Trudeau,” said Malloy. “Although, for slightly different reasons.”

Protesting in Ottawa was certainly symbolic, being the home of the national government, but the irony for Malloy is many of the restrictions put in place like the curfews and lockdowns were set by provincial governments.

“People were not marching on Queen's Park, objecting to Doug Ford, in the same way, even though the Ford government brought in vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions,” said Malloy. “There's not the same objections to Doug Ford, or the various other politicians in the country that brought in restrictions. That was something unique – everything was was Trudeau's fault.”

Across the aisle, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was able to tap into that resentment against the government, according to Malloy, and “really channel it.” It may not have been what got him elected as leader, but the convoy certainly helped oust is predecessor, Erin O'Toole, and opened up the spot for Poilievre.

Poilievre's savvy language and positioning as the convoy rolled into town may have worked to get him the top spot in the Conservative leadership, it's a different ball-game if he gets to take Trudeau's job.

“If you're an opposition leader, it's easy to go out and say, 'I understand what you're saying, I'm listening to you', and so on,” said Malloy. “Once your Prime Minister, you actually have to make decisions. If he becomes Prime Minister we'll see if he can actually do that part.”

Listen to the full interview with Jonathan Malloy on The Sam Laprade Show below.