Hold The Line
A Book Review: My story from the heart of the Freedom Convoy by Tamara Lich
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Tamara Lich’s story from the heart of the Canadian Freedom Convoy in 2022 is an important reminder of the change in spirits brought about by a small group of highly motivated and highly visible champions of free speech, free expression and hope for the future.
For me personally, the truckers meant a lot. They were a large group of Canadian kindred spirits. I was a mandate refugee at that time and was holed up on a monthly rate at a motel in Northwest Montana, not so far from the border. These ballsy truckers raised our hopes by taking the matter into their own hands for a united demonstration of solidarity and the Canadian people supported them coast to coast with such gusto, along with many hard working Americans south of the border.
Tamara in her book reminds us how ridiculous the government mandates and compliance got, to push the truckers over the edge for their families and businesses. Tamara refers to herself as an adopted indigenous grandmother of a handful. She has Oil & Gas and Logistics experience from Alberta. Her grandmother and grandfather were Cree, and she was raised by an Irish and Norwegian couple who adopted her at Age 2 in Saskatoon.
Tamara and her husband both lost their jobs due to the shut downs, and relocated to help with her daughter & fiancé on their farm. Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam went at that time from declaring no need for masking to September 2021, saying ‘You should wear masks having sex but limit face-to-face contact and possibly use barriers like walls that allow for sexual contact’. By Christmas 2021, there were snitch-lines set up so neighbors could call in to report if their neighbors had four cars in the driveway for a possible social violation!
By the start of 2022 Canada’s Health Minister, Jean-Yves Duclos was signaling that soon, the right to even say no to a vaccine would no longer be an option. Duclos eventually admitted that people “will never be fully vaccinated against COVID” and that Canadians would need to “keep our vaccinations up to date” by being dosed at least every nine months.
Brigette Belton is a trucker from Wallaceburg Ontario and was the first trucker who refused an order high up in her cab, to put on a mask at the Canadian Border November 16, 2021. Eventually that night, they let her go with a warning which she proceeded to vent on her TikTok channel.
A few provinces away, Chris Barber in Saskatchewan had a growing TikTok audience (BigRed1975) for his venting since through his trucking, he was able to live and experience how certain states had already started to relax requirements while Canada was continuing to raise them. Chris quickly became the voice of truckers across Canada who felt betrayed by politicians who once celebrated them as heroes. A past protest connection gave Chris’ number to Tamara and told her to call him. By the time Tamara hung up the phone with Chris, she was ready to make the convoy happen. And the rest is history. The Freedom Convoy was born.
The first trucks left the West Coast on January 23, 2022 by January 29, the convoy was an incredible 100 kilometers long! The support was the sign that none of us had lost our hope. People came to cry with the truckers, to pray with them. Some Canadians drove for four hours to be there. And they would stand for hours to see the truckers. It was minus-20 to minus-30 degrees on the Prairies and in Ontario. Canadians were showing that they had not been beaten. The closer they got to Ottawa, the more people came out to cheer. By the time they reached Ottawa, they were approaching $10 Million funds raised.
They ended up inspiring convoys in dozens of countries: USA; across Europe; in South America; in Australia and New Zealand. There were people who, unlike a lot of Canadians, understood the real evils of government tyranny, because of what communists and dictatorships had done to their countries. Families from Eastern Europe, especially Poland and Ukraine, and even from Iran and South America, were usually the most emotionally affected by the protest.
In Ottawa, there were barbecues and sing-a-longs, there was dancing and hockey games. How horrifying. There was a hot tub and a jumbo-tron. The truckers had set up a bouncy castle for children.
The police tried to ban jerrycans for the truckers, but in the cold the truckers couldn’t survive without them. So what did the truckers do? Everyone started carrying jerrycans for fuel. Some had water, some were just empty but no one could tell who was carrying fuel and who wasn’t. They had a jerrycan fashion show on stage one night!
On February 17, 2022 Tamara Lich read out The Freedom Convoy Manifesto on a Facebook-Live Broadcast. Chris Barber and Tamara Lich were arrested soon afterwards, her last free words being “Hold The Line”. Tamara’s arrest and incarceration included varying forms of humiliation ritual. She was released on strict bail conditions after her first 19 days and arrested and jailed again on what appeared to be a politically motivated bail violation accusation that was over-turned after 29 more days. In the end, Tamara spent 49 days in prison and wasn’t convicted of a crime. Apparently, when it comes to a Métis grandmother with no criminal record of any kind, peacefully protesting at the nation’s capital to uphold the Charter of freedoms, the presumption of innocence doesn’t apply.
The Truckers expressed what we all needed expressed. They broke the fever of the pandemic restrictions. Omicron and Monkeypox were planned, have no doubt. After the Convoys, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Quebec all began announcing the lifting of mandates. Ontario, BC and Manitoba also began announcing lifting restrictions. The Truckers showed us that political Liberal vs Conservative is meaningless when it comes down to Right vs Wrong.
Tamara’s Mischief Trial dragged on from September 5, 2023 and lasted 45 days. On April 3, 2025, she was convicted of mischief (along with Chris Barber) but acquitted on other charges like intimidation. Sentencing was set for April 16, 2025. Sentencing occurred on August 12, 2025, where she received a conditional discharge with 6 months less a day of house arrest (served at home, not in jail) and probation. Tamara and Chris are currently under house arrest until January 2027. They are locked down for fighting lock-downs!
There were two other trucker blockades inspired by the Ottawa Convoy. One was at The Ambassador Bridge, a significant international suspension bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor, Canada, spanning the Detroit River. The second, the Coutts border blockade occurred from February 2 to February 14, 2022, at the Coutts, Alberta–Sweetgrass, Montana crossing.
Around 50-100 protesters, including truckers, blocked traffic at Coutts with semis and RVs, halting trade. They flew Canadian flags and carried signs decrying tyranny. On February 13, RCMP executed a raid using helicopters, battering rams, and gas grenades. They arrested 13 people initially. Most arrestees were released quickly; four faced serious charges. Tony Olienick was the last trucker political prisoner to be released January 27, 2026, after serving four years behind bars.
February 17, 2022 The Trucker Manifesto Tamara read out on a Facebook Live Broadcast:
Open letter to our premiers, and to our elected and appointed officials. End the mandates; end the vaccine passports. This is why we are here.
We began our Freedom Convoy with a clear destination: Restoring freedom for our families, our neighbours, and our country. We arrived in Ottawa 20 days ago, taking a stand for our future.
We have given hope and power to freedom-loving Canadians and beyond. People from around the world are now standing with us and want their freedoms back.
Today, February 17th, 2022, we continue to inspire millions of Canadians to resolutely demand the return of their freedoms. We have furthermore become the model - the beacon of hope - for citizens across the globe.
The government-imposed restrictions in the effort against the COVID-19 pandemic, which rescinded many of our liberties for our “protection,” have been worse than useless. For instance: families have become separated; children, who require intimacy and play for their educational and social development, are suffering the consequences of inhumane isolation; small businesses, especially the service industry, can no longer survive with limited capacities; mental health issues such as drug addiction, alcohol dependency, and suicide have increased several fold.
The list of harms is too many to document here, and others will emerge with time. All we can do now is heal the damage that you have done.
The concept of “freedom” here is not only an idea; we have materially felt its loss. Otherwise, we would not be in the streets. Many of us now having nothing to lose. This is our line in the sand. This is where we hold the line.
Once we arrived in Ottawa, we experienced a truly Canadian gathering. The Sikh communities shared food with everyone. Dance parties were set up. Concerts with sea shanties were held. Children drew thank-you cards for truckers and handed roses to police officers in between playing street hockey, drinking hot chocolate, and jumping in bouncy castles.
We have heard Canadians far and wide. Here we communicate what has been conveyed to us.
The message is clear: End the mandates, end the vaccine passports. This is why we are here. We are calling on all governments in Canada to restore the rights and freedoms of Canadians and set concrete limits so governments can’t easily abuse our rights and infringe on our freedoms again. The message is as follows:
We call upon our governments to restore the rights and freedoms of all Canadians:
End federal, provincial and municipal vaccine passports.
End masking requirements.
End all state-of-emergency declarations pertaining to our peaceful protests.
Provide financial protection for the small businesses harmed by COVID restrictions.
Respect freedom of choice without discrimination.
Furthermore, Canadians want assurance that our government will not repeat the same mistakes again. We propose the following steps be taken to ensure this.
Supreme Court of Canada Review of Government Actions
We need to know whether our rights under the Charter mean anything. We call upon the federal government to initiate a Constitutional Reference Question to the Supreme Court of Canada about the constitutional validity of the COVID laws and restrictions.Public Inquiry of Government’s Response to COVID
As a matter of national importance, Canadians call upon the federal government to appoint a fully independent and impartial public inquiry on the government’s handling of COVID responses.
We need to know what went wrong - what caused government to so easily trample our rights and freedoms and cause so much harm to our people and our nation.
For the inquiry to be effective, the following conditions must be considered:
a. The inquiry members are to be selected by an all-party parliamentary process;
b. It must contain a thorough examination of the science, internal communications, policy responses, and the consequences;
c. It must be commenced by March 20, 2022; and
d. It must be made public, in the interests of transparency.
The Freedom Convoy has achieved so much already. In fact, we have revived the Canadian identity and our culture, which openly accepts every person with love.We all have a choice. Please join with us and Canadians who seek freedom. This can be part of your legacy. We are uniting Canadians across the country and will accept your support, even if you’ve previously been reluctant. This is not about the past - this is about the future. You, too, can be on the right side of history. End the mandates. End the vaccine passports.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom Convoy 2022.
The punishment that followed was about warning others what happens when the public sees what empire does. Looking into darkness is not symbolic work. It is profoundly valuable to the progress of humanity. As James Baldwin warned, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Other References:
Connect the dots of major events to historical echoes, from an international expat perspective. Deus vult! Viva Cristo Rey! Christ is King! Jesus is a Palestinian.
Thank you for this Neil. 🙏🏼
https://x.com/myhiddenvalue/status/2021937839626453056?s=20