The trucker convoy was a maelstrom of impoliteness and inconvenience. But it was not a 'clear and present danger.'

A quote apparently misattributed to Voltaire goes as follows: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” It is a foundation of our concept of freedom of speech.

This week’s Federal Court decision that the government illegally invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the “Freedom Convoy’s” shenanigans in 2022 may strike some as a bombshell but in fact it is a welcome reminder that the law is the law and and that we have fundamental rights as enshrined in the Charter.

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Let us review the facts. A bunch of unruly yahoos parked 18-wheelers on Wellington Street, let off their horns incessantly, marched around with banners and flags, barbecued on the road, urinated in public, made a bloody disturbance of themselves and likely gave some Ottawa residents the middle finger.

What they did NOT do as a group is engage in acts of serious violence; threaten to kill people; or pose any........

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