Extremism was at play amid the trucker convoy protests and blockades, and there is 鈥渘o doubt鈥� that some of the organizers who came to Ottawa did so with the intention of overthrowing the government, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 top security adviser.
Jody Thomas says in unpacking what went down during the convoy protests, the clearing of them, and the divisions the whole ordeal exposed, Canada needs to take seriously the rise of domestic ideologically-motivated violent extremism.
Two months ago, Thomas took on the key job as Trudeau鈥檚 national security and intelligence adviser after a long career in the federal public service.
鈥淭he people who organized that protest鈥攁nd there were several factions there, there's no doubt鈥� came to overthrow the government. Whether their ability to do that was there, whether their intent and understanding of how to do that was realistic, is actually irrelevant to what they wanted to do. And I think we have to think about it from that lens,鈥� Thomas said Wednesday during a panel discussion on the state of national security in Canada, as part of the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence.
Over the weeks that the convoy was encamped in Ottawa, some organizers cycled through a range of proposals that lacked a basic understanding of Canada鈥檚 democratic system, from a later-revoked memorandum involving the Senate, to suggesting they鈥檇 be willing to form a coalition with opposition parties and the involvement of the governor general to overthrow Trudeau.
Other organizers spoke against these aims, insisting their focus was on peacefully pushing for the eradication of COVID-19 policies and vaccine mandates. Though near the tail end of an affiliated convoy blockade in Coutts, Alta., with conspiracy to commit murder after authorities seized a number of weapons and ammunition.
At the time, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino indicated that participants in the Alberta blockade had 鈥渟trong ties to a far-right extreme organization with leaders who are in Ottawa.鈥�
While the minister did not offer specifics, there has been reporting and work by The Canadian Anti-Hate Network that has identified participants seen in Ottawa who have espoused rhetoric, worn insignias, or otherwise indicated connections to extremist groups.
Asked whether the Ottawa 鈥淔reedom Convoy鈥� occupation was cause enough to prompt the unprecedented invoking of the Emergencies Act, given the blockades at border crossings were largely being cleared by the time the powers were in effect, Thomas said yes.
鈥淭he occupation of Ottawa was dug in. They had supply chains, they had organization, they had funding coming in from across Canada, but also other countries. And I think that to characterize it as a protest鈥攑eaceful or otherwise鈥攊s an oversimplification of the reality of what was going on, on the ground.鈥�
Thomas鈥� comments echoed some of the justification given from the government in the days following the invocation of the Act, including that it was done out of concern for 鈥渟erious violence against persons or property鈥� for the purpose of achieving a political or ideological objective.鈥�
It鈥檚 Thomas鈥� job to provide intelligence briefings to Trudeau and his cabinet as well as offer policy and operational advice.
She said that going forward鈥攊ncluding as the Emergencies Act Parliamentary Review Committee and coming inquiry begin鈥擟anada has 鈥渁 lot to unpack鈥� when it comes to understanding what鈥檚 going on and its impacts.
鈥淚 think that domestic ideologically-motivated extremism is here, and it's here to stay. We have lived in the splendid naive sort of superiority that this was not our problem in Canada, that this was a south of the border problem, that it existed in other countries, but not in Canada. And that's simply not true,鈥� she said, suggesting that if there had been a religiously-motivated extremist in the convoy, the country鈥檚 reaction would have been different.
鈥淚t will require significant rebuilding, to understand and to try to resolve.鈥�
During the panel before being asked about the convoy, Thomas said that ideologically-motivated violent extremism poses 鈥渟erious and deadly challenges鈥� for Canada鈥檚 national security community.
鈥淲e are increasingly seeing domestic actors鈥攔adicalized online in spaces filled with hate and misinformation鈥攖hreaten to use violence to reach their ideological objectives,鈥� she said.
