The Freedom Convoy: The Inside Story of Three Weeks that Shook the World

by Andrew Lawton

In January 2022, a small group of Canadian truckers fed up with nearly two years of Covid restrictions and a new vaccine mandate for cross-border essential workers decided to take their frustrations directly to the nation's capital. The Freedom Convoy quickly took on a life of its own as hundreds of trucks and thousands of protesters made the journey to Parliament Hill. For the next three weeks, the trucker convoy led a protest unlike any other, complete with bouncy castles, pig roasts, and late-night dance parties. But to the media and government, it was a hate-filled insurrection requiring the unprecedented invocation of the federal Emergencies Act. In this timely and provocative book, author Andrew Lawton combines his own on-the-ground reporting and countless hours of interviews with the Freedom Convoy's organizers and volunteers to tell, for the first time, the whole story of the convoy.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Canada, History

190 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2022

Reviews

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one truly fabulous and enlightening book! Even though I had kept up with all the happenings during and even afterwards on social media, there was still so much more behind the scenes info and stories within this book. Those were three weeks that had viewers world wide actually watching us Canadians and felt we were inspiring...so humbling! I felt cheered that it brought not only some hope for awhile, but a unified gathering of over 10,000 from every imaginable walk of life into one group with a pretty much solid aim of trying to stop the ridiculous restrictions and harsh lockdowns etc of the past few years.

A grassroots organization that gathered supporters so quickly and even along the way to Ottawa in this peaceful protest, which was arranged as best possible within a week compared it taking our federal govt in Ottawa a year to accomplish most likely....So many from let go nurses, doctors, firefighters , soldiers, to truckers who were hampered with the vaxx mandates and passes......who only awhile before, had been championed as ESSENTIAL workers, to applaud their efforts but now barred from many aspects of society over a medical decision, especially losing their very livelihoods :(

Many scenes were shown on social media as well of stories how these protestors cleared streets, kept order, played hockey, socialized normally as life should have still been, music playing, even held some church services, feed homeless people, had bouncy castles....but were considered dangerous enough to use as a "last resort" (despite never meeting with any truckers at all) to invoke an emergency measures act (former War measures act, used three times before, two during the world wars)....crazy.

The assortment of those gathered was more reflective of society as a whole than our prime minister referred to them as a "small fringe minority with unacceptable views". It was a festive and patriotic atmosphere with flags being waved and truckers cheered on! No racism nor misogynist views there despite his claim and the crap the lame stream media tried to portray them as.

A heartbreaking and troubling sentiment that was expressed by many immigrants at that protest was how they were seeing similarities to communism here with loss of freedoms as in the countries they had to flee from :( Our country used to be such a beacon for the oppressed....so disheartening.

Our crime minister was too cowardly to even speak with any of the truckers or organizers but considered them a threat and terrorists, instructed banks to freeze bank accounts of anyone involved no less.More funds were donated, most in actual cash which govt couldn't steal this time as they did with the previous millions....Arrested at gunpoint many at the end, laid charges, trampled over an elderly woman....like goons at the end although some police reported they called in sick as they" just couldn't do it" to the protestors.

This is such a tremendous book that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about what happened, from an inside perspective as most of the regular media are either covering up or twisting it as they are supported by the govt unfortunately. Hats off to American Tucker Carlson for his admirable reporting on it!

In his final comments, the author wrote how the Freedom Convoy's valuable contribution (besides instilling such a sense of pride and connection/warmth,friendships made etc) was to reveal how great lengths many governments will go to stop the very ones who seek this freedom.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I want to thank Andrew and his colleagues at True North, as well as other independent media like Rebel News, for portraying this movement honestly, and for speaking up and telling us the truth over the last two years when the liberal funded media has done anything but. I also wanted to thank Andrew for being on the ground and covering the crackdown at great personal risk (he was pepper sprayed by officers even though he wasn’t on the front lines).

I loved every second of this book. I had the fortune of spending two weekends at the convoy, and I am so happy that I got to be a part of Canadian history. After months of being demonized and alienated by the government and society for my own personal medical decisions, the convoy was a return to normalcy and was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. While the mainstream media and the Trudeau government did their best to make it out like we were a violent, misogynistic, racist “fringe minority”, the unity of the tens of thousands of people from all different walks of life over the course of the protest was simply amazing to see.

When violence came, it was only from the police. Luckily enough, we were not in the city that weekend but I watched the livestreams of the crackdown over the two days sobbing. After three weeks of hope and finally feeling like the tables were turning, to see the government treat their own people like that was truly heartbreaking.

I do think, though, that the government hurt themselves in enacting the emergencies act, and the police response and the freezing of Canadian bank accounts. The whole point of the protest was to fight back against government overreach, and they only proved our point.

While we did not manage to lift the cross border and federal mandates, we did cause a major political shift, we ended the vaccine passport system and the Quebec tax on the unvaccinated, and most importantly, we learned that we were far from alone, and that our views weren’t so fringe after all.

I strongly encourage anyone who believed the media/government rhetoric to take the time and read this book, which is filled with interviews from organizers and others who were on the ground.

FREE TAMARA LICH AND PAT KING!

[Nicole Kemper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Lawton did a fantastic job of covering the true facts of the Convoy. It was satisfying to see it all put together on the page, the events that so many of us followed and attended in real life.

[grace*ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Still hate the convoy.

[Jack Rousseau · Rating 1 out of 5]

You may know Andrew Lawton from Rebel News, True North, or the Andrew Lawton show. If you live (or lived) in London, Ontario, you may remember him as the Progressive Conservative Party's candidate for the London West riding in the 2018 provincial election. If so, you may also remember him for being a controversial candidate. Needless to say, Lawton hasn't lost his penchant for controversy.

With The Freedom Convoy, Andrew Lawton perpetuates controversial myths about the protests and occupations that annoyed Ottawa residents for three weeks. The most obvious myth being that this commotion "shook the world". Yes, there was shaking - but it was only the heads of sensible Canadians that were shaking.

While I didn't vote for the Liberal Party and I'm not particularly fond of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I don't think occupying the streets of Ottawa, tormenting Ottawa residents with truck horns, and demanding the resignation of a democratically elected government is a practical solution. That's my bias, and that's probably why I didn't enjoy a book that wants me to drink the freedom kool aid.

[sylvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

also still hate the convoy

[Jim Dowdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it and weep for the once free country and the ease that an evil government was able to destroy it. The world watched in horror as the constitution of Canada was abrogated and the legal protest was attacked by oath breakers in police uniforms. The convoy was proof that the middle class is waking up to the fact that we have entered the end game of the Great Reset. But the rulers have no mercy.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

To his credit, Lawton presents a fairly unbiased view of the Freedom Convoy. He lays out the events leading up to, during, and at the conclusion of this uniquely "Canadian" protest. The result being neither a pro nor anti convoy stance but as Joe Friday would say "just the facts ma'am".

[Amal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish this.

The clear bias, the lack of any objectivity. It killed it for me.

[Sarah Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Lawton has done a great job of providing a factual account of the Freedom Convoy. An impressive event for having such a quick and heartfelt organization.
Having been a part of grassroots efforts myself I am aware how difficult it can be to get momentum going. Seeing how quickly this all came together and how many moving parts were involved as well as varying perspectives and values makes it an even more incredible accomplishment
Thank you for putting the details out in an organized way that provided a comprehensive account of this incredible historic event.

[Kurtis Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the Truth Shall Set You Free

kurtisrob23@gmail.com i enjoyed the book
It was a balanced depiting of the events concerning the Freedom Convoy and our sitting governments response. No wonder the free world was surprised and embarassed by our governments handling of the situation. Great people rise to great heights in these times, unfotunately none them were found among our present elected officals .

[Ronald Barmby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Lawton did a great job in bringing to print the facts on the ground that the main stream media in Canada willfully ignored. Whether you supported the convey or not you should read this book to see the biggest Canadian news story in a generation from the perspective of a journalist who is independent of Trudeau's subsidies to compliant media outlets. It is a brave little book; the truth always is.

[Susanna Needs a GREAT Book Please · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm impressed one of the unwashed inbreeders had enough coin scrounged up to pay for a ghostwriter. Too bad the ghostwriter was a barely legible loony tune who doesn't know where a comma goes to save their American ball-gargling life.

[Gerald Tessier · Rating 5 out of 5]

the truth!!!

[Rachel Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read that helped me get a better understanding of the freedom convoy. Those few weeks have been one of the only times that I was very invested in the news. Thanks to the courageous truckers and their many supporters, Canada is free from vaccine mandates and the authoritarian control of our government. Hearing about the convoy restored my faith in Canada and was a much-needed reminder that there is hope after all.

[Robie Trites · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from a journalist perspective. Brought up Pat King more then he deserved. I found it might be a bit hard to follow at times for someone who was reading/watching TNI sources during the event. Still he hits a lot of facts and offers some descent discussion.

EDIT: 18Nov2022
Something a bit more constructive is the Rouleau Commission, which is on-going with no verdict yet.

https://youtu.be/H7wrFSJT840

If this Journalist publishes a book, it might be another perspective to consider. I have also reviewed PhD, Julie Ponesse's book. She seems to have a strong ability to feel, something I believe this book lacks.

We just had Rememberence Day, something that generally has a different feel from everyday life. I felt this conversation below has a feel that has been missing.

https://youtu.be/ht4SgGRKBXM

[Loretta Cote]

Very informative.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, objective description of the genesis and evolution of the Freedom Convoy, which debunks many of the rumours and misinformation perpetrated by political detractors, as well as social- and main-stream media. A must-read for Canadians, whether or not they supported the convoy.

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to keep an open mind but this is terrible and I have better things to do with my precious time. Lawton should have hired an editor for this self-published trash. DNF.

[STEPHEN PLETKO!! · Rating 1 out of 5]

XXXXX

A book for all IRRATIONAL Canadians: ATTEMPTING TO VALIDATE THE "FREEDOM" CONVOY

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"The convoy's story is a fascinating one.

One about Canadians, who generally welcomed each wave of [COVID] restrictions, finally deciding they'd had enough, and in large numbers declaring the pandemic over.

About a scrappy group of truckers bringing a G-7 capital [Ottawa is the capital of Canada] to its knees.

About an earnest, grassroots movement evolving into a multi-million-dollar operation with lawyers, accountants, a public relations strategy, back-channel police negotiations and multiple command centers spread out across Ottawa hotels.

And about a protest that spawned spinoffs and copycats, not just across Canada but around the world."

The above quote (in italics) comes from this slim book by Andrew Lawton. He is a journalist and the host of his own radio show. Lawton has published written work across the world and has appeared on Canadian television news shows. He is a strong supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada. (A conservative in Canada is also known as a 'TORY.')

What was the Freedom Convoy? It was a series of protests and blockades in Canada against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions that began in early 2022. Beginning in January 2022, hundreds of vehicles (mainly trucks) formed convoys from several points and traversed Canadian provinces before converging on the nation's capital, Ottawa, on January 29, 2022, with a rally at Parliament Hill. The convoys were joined by thousands of pedestrian protesters. Several offshoot protests blockaded provincial capitals and border crossings with the United States.

The convoy was condemned by trucking industry and labor groups. On the political front, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the National Democratic Party (NDP) leader condemned the convoy while many politicians from the Conservative Party endorsed the convoy.

U.S. republican politicians as well as conservative politicians and media figures from around the world also endorsed the convoy.

Multiple opinion polls showed that the majority of Canadians opposed the convoy while a minority supported it.

What Lawton attempts to do in this book is legitimize and even glamorize the convoy protest. As well, this book is way too political with Lawton throughout the book essentially saying 'Liberals BAD, Conservatives GOOD.' It also is anti-media and even anti-police.

There is nothing about the science of COVID-19 which is strange since this is why the mandates were invoked in the first place.

The biographies of the main organizers of the convoy are sparse. Doing my own research on these people, I discovered that these organizers, to put it mildly, were weird people.

At one point, Lawton even tells us, in his desperation, that former U.S. president Donald Trump "pledged to stand with the truckers and Canadians." (Boy, that makes me feel better.)

Lawton even gets the duration of the protest wrong saying that it was "three weeks." In reality, it was one month and one day. He conveniently fails to tell the cost that resulted from this mess. The economic cost was pegged at $6 billion plus.

Perhaps my biggest repulsion I had from reading this book was the implication that these renegade truckers were working for all Canadians. Perhaps they were working for all IRRATIONAL Canadians but certainly not for RATIONAL ones.

I've only mentioned a few problems with this book. For example, there's nothing about counter-protests or about children (yes, that's right, children) being brought to the convoy site.

Finally, Lawton tells us that the convoy was not a failure despite it being successfully disbanded by police. Then he goes on to tell us why but he misses the mark. The Canadian government actually relaxed or abolished most mandates after this incident. For example, masks are no longer required to be worn.

The result? People are getting sick. Emergency rooms are being overwhelmed. Health care workers are burned out and people (including children) are dying.

Thank you convoy truckers for giving Canadians their "Freedom" and indirectly causing the sickness and death of many Canadians.

And thank you Andrew Lawton for validating the actions of these misfits. I hope you're proud of yourself.

In conclusion, the information contained in this book is not to be trusted since it is so skewed. Its reasoning is in a word: childish. As for Conservatives, I would say that the only good TORY is a supposiTORY.

The Freedom Convoy did not really "shake the world" (as this book's subtitle says) but RATIONAL Canadians were left shaking their heads.

XXXXX

(2022; introduction [ix to xiii]; 3 parts or 14 chapters; conclusion; main narrative 155 pages; notes; about the author)

XXXXX

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book; quick read too (I read it in just a few hours). I've lived in downtown Ottawa for the past 15 years, and I spent time at the protests, and the book is consistent with my experience there.

It was striking how the atmosphere was so positive, and was the complete opposite of how it was reported by the legacy media.

As a matter of fact, it felt like an NDP rally during the Jack Layton years. BTW, I'm not an NDP voter, but I can at least admit Jack Layton seemed to be a sincere politician trying to do good in the world, so I respected him for that.

I did experience an angry reaction from friends and family when mentioning I supported the convoy - none of whom visited the protest themselves or lived or worked in the downtown core.

[Jen Lof · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written book and whose content I appreciated.
Wasn't exactly a page turner.. but it was exactly what I expected it to be. Factual. To the point. And exposure to all the harms our government inflicted during the pandemic. Trudeau has destroyed Canada. And that’s a fact.

[Alex Passey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will grant, this book was not as awful as I expected it to be. Not only does Lawton veer away from making any sort of anti-vaxx arguments, he actually seems to be writing through a veil of barely restrained disdain for anti-vaxxers. And not just the anti-vaxxers, but also for the more extreme political factions which comprised the convoy, made evident right out of the gate when he dismisses the convoy's original "memorandum of understanding" as a bunch of dumb nonsense wrapped in legalese.

But therein lies the dissonance that makes this book still pretty hard to swallow. Lawton seeks to completely divorce the convoy from the far right elements and even anti-vaxxers which populated it. Obviously he is correct in asserting that there were more moderate elements in the convoy as well, but the extreme right was not so marginal as to be handwaved away, and to completely ignore the anti-vaxx element is just turning a blind eye to a fundamental aspect. But Lawton is completely uninterested in investigating those elements for the sake of framing the convoy as some wholesome, kumbaya peaceful protest where all of Canada came together only to be crushed through a tyrannical government with the aid of their media apparatus.

And Lawton actually does a fair job of highlighting some of the media hysteria and missteps. I completely agree with him that media at its most salacious was on full display. The convoy was a victim of having the worst elements of its slavishly highlighted by mainstream media, often jumping the gun on facts for the sake of crafting a narrative. It would just be nice if Lawton was also interested in investigating how right wing media veered way too far in the other direction, a tradition he continues in this book.

I'd also agree with Lawton's narrative about how the government went too far in enacting the Emergency Act. There is certainly a tale of institutional bungling here that culminated in overreach. However, other than admitting that he himself found the honking unbearable, and conceding that the incident of some convoy supporters demanded food from a homeless shelter might have happened, Lawton was not much interested in examining the negative impacts of the convoy or the people who didn't support the movement, not even amongst the neighbourhood directly impacted. And while he seems to revel in the support the convoy received from the police early on, and then recoil in horror when those seem police are ultimately used against the convoy as a bludgeon later on, he doesn't spare a thought for how or why most other protest movements aren't offered nearly as much support or consideration. While he paints a graphic scene of the crackdown, he fails to grapple with how it is a bad thing for police to be EVER directed against citizens participating in civil unrest for the sake of protecting capital and the economy. Instead, Lawton frames the crackdown as a problem with Trudeau specifically, and not an institutional problem with capitalism or policing. In fact, he spares plenty of apologia for police and policing, doubtlessly because he actually does recognize how great it was when his favoured protest had them on his side.

So all in all, it's a highly biased book filled with some okay reporting on an important event that deserves more in depth examination than you will find in these pages.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” only from media reports in the United States, I had no idea what it was like or how it had started. I hadn’t even realized, or had forgotten, that it last three weeks.

Andrew Lawton went on the ground early—“I arrived on Friday, January 28, the day before the convoy was officially due”—to stream raw footage of the people and their activities and to interview people. This book is not about his own experiences but about the stories told, the reasons why people showed up, and the reasons why they stayed. He was in and out all the way through to the end.

I was repeatedly struck in Ottawa by the divergence between media coverage of the convoy and what I saw with my own eyes.

One of the strangest was literally a “don’t believe your lying eyes” Orwellian moment:

A strange subplot emerged the day of the big Wellington St. crackdown. The New York Times mentioned in a tweet and a story that police “arrested demonstrators at gunpoint.” Canadian journalists pounced on the claim as sensationalistic and inaccurate… It was a bizarre fight to pick, considering there were photos of police with guns drawn as they made arrests, including a widely circulated photo of police pointing their rifles into a camper they were trying to clear and remove… The New York Times later capitulated to the mob and scrapped the “gunpoint” line from its story, though it was accurate, and bizarre how many people pretended otherwise.

Much of the story here is about the “duelling narratives” between what Lawton, and the people he talked to, saw in Ottawa and what was reported as happening. But it’s also about how a completely decentralized movement managed make their voices heard throughout at least North America for a short time in 2022—and about the problems that a decentralized movement runs into when it needs to be organized.

[Hugh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like to read things I think I'll disagree with, but I couldn't finish this one. There is some truth here - the cops, politicians and media all screwed up to varying degrees. The threats to the safety of Ottawa's citizens was overblown. It was overwhelmingly peaceful, if noisy and disruptive.

It doesn't matter much though. The author is going to be as charitable as possible to his team and as critical as possible to the other team.

He contradicts himself frequently (telling us what 'the organizers' were motivated by, then saying that 'the organizers' were never really in control; telling us how 'the mainstream media is biased' then discussing some fair media coverage which gets subject to abuse and threats from the protestors), and doesn't really come clean about the background of many of the figures in the reporting (from Keean Bexte and Ezra Levant to Pat King and Randy Hillier).

It's bad. The author is as dishonest as he claims the CBC is.

[Gossymotto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most inspiring moment in recent Canadian history, this was an event that brought so many back together and gave us hope. It also pointed out just how corrupt and hopeless legacy media had become. When you could watch hours of livestream video of the convoy, seeing with your own eyes and watching a community of Canadians from all walks of life come together . . . . and then read article after article claiming the complete opposite was transpiring, there was no doubt left that CBC, CTV and the rest were willing to outright lie to Canadians.

I applaud Andrew Lawton for braving the weather and suffering through a face full of pepper spray in order to report the real story. I'm grateful for, and very much enjoyed reading his book and reliving the 3 weeks that made me feel like Canadians still existed somewhere out there. Lots of kindhearted, hard-working Canadians. It was very interesting to learn about what was taking place behind the scenes at the convoy.

I highly recommend buying a physical copy of this book and reading it.

[Laurie Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Freedom Convoy first came to my attention on January 28, 2022 when a friend posted Jayme Knyx video "Just Drive".... I watched it again and again with tears of gratitude streaming down my face. These people became my new heroes.

So naturally I ordered a hard copy of this book the first day I saw it advertised! But as it is still "temporarily out of stock," I finally bought the Kindle version yesterday and I just finished reading it. It was a swift and riveting read.

They are still my heroes!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I began following the Freedom Convoy near the beginning of the journey across Canada, much of this book's information was familiar. However, I really appreciated getting the background story that led up to the convoy's formation. Discovering more of the inside story of what happened in Ottawa was very good.

[Cynthia Frongia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Andrew. I listen to his talk show regularly and I think he has great character. He stood up for unvaxxed Canadians throughout the pandemic despite being vaccinated. I found this book had a lot of info I didn't know about which was helpful but I found it to be dry. I think it's worth checking out but i wouldn't read it again.

[Keenan Crone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise, non-biased accounting of the freedom convoy that took place in the winter of 2021 in Canada.

As a Canadian trucker myself who is not vaccinated but was not able to take part in the protests, I am grateful to Andrew Lawton for this accounting so that I could experience a bit of what it was like to be in the thick of this historical movement.