As the 'Freedom Convoy' trial begins, reflections on the Canadian Jews who supported the movement

On Tuesday, the criminal trial began for two key leaders of the trucker convoy protest, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. The case touches on some of the deepest political divides in Canada today—and was, back in 2022, an equally hot topic for Canadian Jews.

While many in the community turned against the convoy after antisemitic images emerged of protesters waving Nazi flags, some Jewish Canadians felt comfortable brushing aside the antics of the movement's fringe members in support of the broader anti-government message.

To bring that discussion back into context, we're re-airing an interview from February 2022, when the action was happening. Ellin Bessner spoke with two Jewish Canadians who supported the controversial convoy to figure out how they viewed the Nazi symbolism and how the pandemic’s economic fallout permanently impacted their careers. 

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.