Decades ago, my favourite sociology professor said that low voter turnout means people are content and therefore complacent to let things be. High voter turnout indicates dissatisfaction. Gosh. I can’t wait to see what the numbers will be for our upcoming federal election. 

If the United States were to hold a “do-over” of their November 2024 election, I’d put money on the highest voter turnout ever. At town halls, at Tesla dealerships, or in support of the 50501 movement, the number of people protesting in the US is growing from hundreds to thousands. The fear and outrage is palpable. Like the bird flu and measles, protests are spreading to Canada too.

I’ve never been particularly political. My stance has always been, a pox on all your houses; sometimes we need a conservative strategy, sometimes we need a liberal strategy. And every once in a while we get the right leader at the right time. Example, Winston Churchill. What we need right now is an answer to the taunts coming our way.

A protest at a Tesla dealership was organized near me. To be honest, just thinking about participating felt way outside my comfort zone. Should I stay or should I go? But… I wanted to offer my support by showing up. And I was curious.

About twenty people lined up on the sidewalk in front, most carrying signs. In the bigger scheme of things, this protest was nary a drop in the bucket, but for all of us who were braving the wind and cold, it was the principle of making a statement. For every ten cars that honked, waved and gave us a thumb’s up, there was one car that gave us the finger. I liked that ratio.

Chatting with the others, I learned that one woman has dual citizenship and is reluctant to travel to the US to see family. Another was a trans person who said there was no way in hell they were going near the border. Another woman was a Tesla owner who regretted her purchase. Others were there for reasons similar to mine; to remain watching on the side lines felt more uncomfortable than participating in a simple demonstration.

The wind was bitterly cold. I stayed until my knees felt like frozen hockey pucks; “See you at the next one,” was the good-bye refrain from my fellow protestors.

I came home and watched Canadian Bacon starring John Candy. In 1995, when the movie first came out, it was a funny spoof on Canada/US relations. I thought it would be a fitting end to my day, but the plot hit too close to our current reality to make me laugh.

Participating in the protest made me feel better. Instead of screaming, “Do Something!” at my screens, I did something. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but my intention is to do more. Thousands attended an Elbows Up rally in Toronto yesterday. Canadians are just getting started.

On the comedy radio show, Because News, host Gavin Crawford had a great line;

“Hell hath no fury like a beaver scorned.”

Keep your joy.

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger, unless it’s a holiday weekend. Or summertime. 

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