Cariboo-Prince George Conservative MP Todd Doherty is both praising and condemning the actions of protesters who converged on the nation's capital over the weekend to protest the federal government's strategy for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the House of Commons back in session, Doherty said he was making his way to Parliament Hill on Monday morning when he noticed a small vehicle with B.C. licence plates parked and idling on an Ottawa street.
After tapping on the window, Doherty said he learned that the occupants had driven across the country as part of the Freedom Convoy. He said the occupants, and others like them have sleeping in their vehicles for the last three days, and are now braving temperatures below -30 C,
"It speaks to the conviction and their belief, and anger and their frustration," Doherty said. "These people are sleeping in temperatures that are unbelievably cold just for the right to have their voices heard, and to me that's pretty incredible."
Conversely, Doherty expressed dismay over reports of vandalism and symbols associated with hate groups being displayed.
"What concerns me obviously, is when I hear reports of Canadian flags with swastikas or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier being disrespected and I don't condone any violence but I do support Canadians' charter rights to peacefully protest and have their voices heard," he said.
Like party leader Erin O'Toole, Doherty said he and his family are fully vaccinated and urged others to take that step but added Canadians who choose not to get the jab should not be vilified. During Question Period on Monday, even the House Leader said the heated rhetoric needs to be brought down a notch or two, according to Doherty, "and I agree with him."
Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Taylor Bachrach also said the government needs to "take the temperature down."
"The public health measures that are in place are important. At the same time, the government needs to acknowledge that people are frustrated and angry and ultimately, whenever possible, we need a government that brings people together," Bachrach said.
Bachrach differed with the protesters' claim that requiring truckers to get vaccinated will further impede delivery of goods.
"There's an ongoing labour shortage that existed prior to the pandemic that's very challenging and one of the big drivers of the supply chain challenges is the fact that people are getting sick from COVID-19 and so the public health measures and the push for vaccinations is also an effort to address some of those challenges with the supply chain," he said.
Like happened in Prince George, Bachrach said there was a "large vehicle rally" in Smithers.
"I hear from people that are frustrated about the public health direction," Bachrach said. "At the same time, I hear from a lot of people who are frustrated that a small percentage of their neighbours refuse to get vaccinated."
As a result, said Bachrach, "it feels like fabric of our communities is pulled really tight."
"It's just so important at times like these that we have patience and we have kindness for each other and we should have hard conversations about the policy and at the same time, we should have as much respect for each other as we can," he added.
