Why the Ottawa trucker protest could spark a new movement in Canada

The trucker convoy protest in Ottawa could be the beginning of an amorphous new political movement fuelled by grievances against pandemic health restrictions, vaccines and a deepening devotion to anti-government conspiracy theories, says a professor who studies cults, extremists and conspiracy theorists in American history. 

Alison Meek, who teaches at King's University College at Western University in London, Ont., said while demonstrators have been cleared from border crossings and the streets of downtown Ottawa, their movement is far from over and could offer a troubling omen of what this country could face in the future.

"There's this anger that the government doesn't represent the people, that elections don't matter, that your voice is not being heard." 

"I don't think they're done. I think it's just going to fuel into the next issue. So I don't think we're done by a longshot."

Meek said the demonstrations in Ottawa, Windsor and Coutts, Alta., much like the demonstration that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, are not homogenous movements and are beginning to mutate into wider symbols of government resistance.

For example, Meek said, the demonstrators are upset about the police action and not being given the legitimacy of a sit-down with the prime minister, but at the same time, they're also claiming they've won.

"It's feeding upon itself. It's growing. It's not just about the mandates. It's something deeper and darker that's coming into play."

That darker element, according to the professor comes from conspiracy theories about vaccines, or a sinister totalitarian government trying to control people's lives and it's all being fuelled by people spending their time online while they isolate at home during the pandemic. 

"This pandemic has really exploded a lot of conspiracy theories, a lot of anger," said Meek.

"You get into that echo chamber. You go and you look at the Facebook accounts, the Twitter accounts, that align with your views, as opposed to if you were in an office, you might have different perspectives and hear different things that are coming into play."

Meek said the economic dislocation of the pandemic and the mixed messaging from government health authorities on vaccines, such as AstraZeneca, hasn't has only fanned the flames of cynicism. 

"It was like the Hunger Games trying to find that vaccine," she said. "Then they came out and said that's not the preferred vaccine.

"You can understand where people are confused. They need an outlet."