Canadas 'Freedom Convoy' reveals the far rights strategyand the lefts vital tasktoday

Published: Feb. 22, 2022, 4:40 p.m.

b'For over a month, Canada has been rocked by a \\u201cFreedom Convoy\\u201d of demonstrators and vehicle blockades that ultimately converged on the capital city of Ottawa in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions. Having garnered support from conservative media, some members of Canada\\u2019s parliament, and prominent online voices like Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson, the convoy quickly became a cultural and political flashpoint that revealed both how the far right is mobilizing and how the left needs to respond. In this segment of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Canadian journalists Emily Leedham and Dru Oja Jay about their experience covering the convoy, the mix of organic and astroturfed grievances that were on display, and what the demonstrations say about the terrain of right-wing politics in Canada today.

Emily Leedham is the Prairies Reporter for PressProgress, an award-winning nonprofit news organization in Canada that focuses on holding the rich and powerful accountable, exposing unfair and unhealthy working conditions, and shining a light on hate and bigotry. She has been reporting on the \\u201cFreedom Convoy\\u201d for PressProgress and Jacobin. Dru Oja Jay is the publisher of The Breach, an independent Canadian media outlet producing critical journalism mapping a just, viable future. He was also the publisher of The Dominion paper and a co-founder of the Media Co-op. Along with Nikolas Barry-Shaw, he is the co-author of the book Paved with Good Intentions: Canada\\u2019s Development NGOs from Idealism to Imperialism.

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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/canadas-freedom-convoy-reveals-the-far-rights-strategy-and-the-lefts-vital-task-today

Pre-Production/Studio: Dwayne Gladden
Post-Production: Stephen Frank

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