A crowd gathered in February of 2022 to welcome Kas as he rolled back into Prince George from the Freedom Convoy to Ottawa in his newly acquired blue Freightliner named Freedom One.
When Kas lost his job with the City of Prince George due to a new policy requiring employees to accept a series of medical injections, he knew the road ahead might be long. He gave thought to how far he would go to help others who were also medically discriminated against, and decided that all the way to Ottawa might be a start. Many friends and supporters helped to ready Kas’s rig for the road ahead — repairs had to be done, maintenance and safety checks completed, the trailer had to be equipped, supplies loaded, and the tank needed to be filled.
Joined by a convoy that had been snowballing in size all the way from Prince Rupert, the journey began with much roadside celebration in January of 2022.
Early in the trip, a small boy standing by the road, bundled for the cold, held a sign that read: “TRUCKERS, PLEASE UNMASK ME”, and Kas knew he had a job to do.
Then in Saskatchewan in -45° a man looking to be in his 90s stood hunched with an oxygen tank, clutching his walker at the side of road. The dignity that the old man mustered to stand at attention showed a thankfulness to those fighting so that he would not have to die alone.
Some who came to cheer ended up spontaneously joining the convoy. One family who joined without any planning or supplies was given just enough food and fuel in each town to make it to the next town. At one time in the trip when there was no food left in the truck, someone came to their window at an intersection and handed them a bag of sandwiches saying they felt moved to give it to them — and there were the exact number of sandwiches as people in the truck.
After arriving in Ottawa, Kas noted that the government did not know what to do with them because they remained peaceful and lawful no matter what. Soon, the government changed the laws in order to make those who gathered lawfully to be considered outlaws.
The first attempt was to freeze and starve out the families who had gathered. But Canadians showed up in mass with jerry cans of fuel for heat and cooking.
The next attempt was to silence the voices of Canadians. When no horns were allowed even during courtesy hours, Canadians would walk around banging two jerry cans together so their support for the truckers could be heard.
Soon every thing Canadian — hot tubs, hockey nets, barbecues, and bouncy castles — had to be dismantled and removed upon the government’s use of a dusted-off War Measures Act.
The government’s actions only brought embarrassment, shame, and ridicule of Prime Minister Trudeau that echoed around the world.
The truckers packed up, but on their way home attracted even more support and have since inspired Freedom Convoys weekend after weekend in provinces and cities across Canada. “We started the ball rolling,” says Kas. The Freedom Convoy is forever a part of Canada’s story where people unite to help others and stand together against unlawful medical tyranny.
N. Smith | Staff Writer | PG Real News
Photos: (Top) A few days after returning home, Kas speaks about his journey to a crowd at the CN Centre. (Right) Kas stands next to his Freightliner known as the Freedom One. Video: (Below) Kas pulls over at the side of the road to greet supporters as he returned to Prince George from the Ottawa Freedom Convoy.