Locals’ first-hand views of Ottawa protest much different than reports

But Debbie has travelled to the core of the protest downtown and Ken has been talking with people in the outlying area and says the reception they’ve received has been remarkable.

“Anybody we’ve come in contact with here has been so grateful that we’re here,” says Enslen.

He adds, “we’ve given them hope. They’ve been living in despair for the last two years, they can’t see their families, they can’t see their loved ones, they can’t go shopping; it’s just wrong, completely wrong and we’ve given them hope.”

Some people in Ottawa have complained about the noise from truck horns and being made to feel like prisoners in their own homes.

But Ken says his experience has been much different.

“We’ve had multiple offers of people opening their homes for shower facilities and whatnot, meals are provided nonstop,” says Enslen, who adds they’ve “been treated like kings.”

Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz says his office is just steps from Parliament Hill, and he’s also seen a different picture than one painted by national news organizations.

“The national media would have the Canadian public believe these truckers are out of control, they’re intimidating. I have not seen that,” says Motz.

Motz says the hate groups that were displaying Nazi and Confederate flags have no place in the protest and the truckers have spoken out against it.

The MP says it was the truckers who were going to forcefully remove those flags from the individuals and the police had to intervene.

Motz says it was the truckers that cleaned up the Terry Fox statue where hate groups did something inappropriate and also cleaned up the National War Memorial.

Motz visited the war memorial last night and says truckers are standing guard there to make sure the hate groups don’t come back.

He says many truckers were out with shovels this morning clearing an overnight snowfall from the sidewalks.

Motz has been working to facilitate a meeting between government ministers and the protestors, saying “they want to be heard, they need to be heard and they deserve to be heard.”

He’s hopeful that once the protestors feel they’ve been heard, a peaceful resolution will be possible.

by Brian Konrad

Locals’ first-hand views of Ottawa protest much different than reports

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