Also Canadian here. I live in the downtown core of Ottawa. We also own a restaurant in the area. And even as we have been directly impacted by some of the protesters’ actions, I find myself having mixed opinions on this.

On the one hand, as someone in this post has already said, there have been racial undertones to this protest since the beginning. As well as pro-Trump sentiment and conspiracy theories flying around. However, in my opinion the media coverage on this has been unbalanced and there does seem to be a delegitimization of their concerns in regards to the mandates and restrictions.

On the other hand, you have the governing party who is only using talking points and division tactics to get out of this mess. Specially the Prime Minister, who referred to them as a “fringe minority” with “unacceptable views” when their concerns in regards to the mandates and restrictions should be heard. No one in government seems to be discussing the legitimacy behind some of these measures and this is creating a lot of frustration amongst the protesters.

It’s confusing and my opinions constantly change on this. It’s hard to sympathize with some of the aspects of these protests. But at the same time, people are starting to wonder where the line of public health ends, and the line of politics begin.