Look West: Criminal anthropologist says Alberta at heart of unrest, protests
CTV
A criminal anthropologist suggests looking to the West to find the heart of protests and blockades that gripped the nation for more than a month.
A criminal anthropologist suggests looking to the West to find the heart of protests and blockades that gripped the nation for more than a month.
Alberta appears to have been the epicentre of unrest that started with truckers over cross-border vaccine mandates, but quickly attracted other groups with their own agendas. Most prominent were demands to lift all pandemic public health measures, complaints about the federal Liberal government and rallying cries for freedom.
Two people arrested for leading the noisy three-week standoff in downtown Ottawa call Alberta home. A third is from Saskatchewan.
There are 13 people with alleged violent motives facing serious charges in relation to the southern Alberta border blockade at Coutts. Four are accused of conspiracy to commit murder of RCMP officers.
Another convoy destined for Ottawa originated in northern Alberta, but was turned away at the Manitoba-Ontario boundary in recent days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
Cathy Prowse, a criminal anthropologist as well as a 25-year Calgary police veteran, said Alberta's economy and way of life have been hit hard by COVID-19, which has created a wellspring of dissent.
"We've had trouble getting oil to market. We've had farmers that haven't got enough feed for their cattle," said Prowse. "Displacement is huge here. Probably as bad as, if not worse, than any part of the country."
