From the heart of the Freedom Convoy, an area farmer shares her family’s experience

Mandy Madsen, her husband Nelles, and their two youngest children are far from home. The hardworking farmers from south of Mayerthorpe are somewhere within the nation’s capital as this story hits newsstands. On Sunday, January 23, the foursome jumped into their Madsen Farms transport, pulling an empty hay trailer behind them. Strapped to the trailer was a huge wooden sign that read “MANDATE FREEDOM – Freedom Convoy 2022” on one side and “STRONG AND FREE” on the other.

The plan was to meet up with the trucker convoy in Edson and drive to Acheson. But, as they drove further, they kept coming up with reasons to go just a bit more. As they travelled along inside the ever-growing convoy, Madsen said she was overwhelmed with the massive support they received everywhere they went. “Right now, as I’m talking to you, I’m seeing two guys standing on the side of the road dancing and jumping up and down and cheering. That’s the kind of stuff we see everywhere we go. People are so happy, for the first time in two years! People are drumming, singing, jumping, hugging, and crying.”

Whether a city or a small town, Madsen said not one single town dismissed their arrival. “Forty below and people are outside with their beaver hide hats on and arctic mitts and fire pits by the side of the road. And fireworks, lots of fireworks. Sault Ste Marie was insane with their fireworks on Thursday night,” explained Madsen. “You come out into the vast country, and no people are living there for miles and miles, and then we come up to one farmhouse and see a man standing there with his flag, waving as we drive by. This isn’t about people just coming out for the hype and being part of the masses. There are people all along the way.”

As faith-filled people, seeing the love within the convoy and the reaction of their arrival in communities across the country have filled their hearts. It has also brought sadness as they learn of mainstream news agencies reporting the convoy’s intent and negatively speaking of it. “We see the thousands of people standing in the streets. We see the smiling faces and the generosity they share with us. We are feeding off of each other’s energy. The country is exploding in this movement of regaining our freedom. So, it’s heartbreaking when we hear some of the negative things that people are saying about us. We hear that we are terrorists or a fringe minority and that our opinions are unacceptable. It’s very sad to hear that.” Thankfully, seeing the thousands upon thousands of Canadians cheering them on takes the sting off.

They’ve been fed by people along the way, with some communities setting up huge donation areas for truckers to take from, while others prepared homecooked meals, feeding thousands. Hutterites from Manitoba followed the convoy into Ontario with food in tow, feeding them in Kenora. In Dryden, Dominos staff stood on the highway, handing out pizzas to passing trucks at the red light with a message of hope. Countless people in the Ottawa area have offered rooms in their homes to convoy members, and a farmer’s field was said to be plowed to provide ample parking space just outside of the city. Mechanics have also joined the convoy to help keep trucks rolling, and as numbers climb, so do the spirits of those involved. The convoy is well documented on social media as participants capture footage from the road. Mandy said those who think it’s a small movement should seek out the footage rather than only watching mainstream news.

Madsen said that organizers are very strict on foul play and that anything that resembles hate is immediately shut down. “We are told that if we see anybody being negative, hateful, angry, or if we see any extremists, or anyone uttering any sort of threat, that we need to report it immediately.” She said they had to sign a contract stating they would follow a code of ethics to join the convoy. “We had to agree to act in a manner that honoured the movement and that we are coming in peace and unity.” In one of her live broadcasts, Madsen said there are rumours of people wanting to cause problems on behalf of the convoy. She said everyone is regularly reminded to avoid troublemakers and report them.

Madsen has been going live throughout the journey, and one morning she shared the music coming through her radio as they waited on the side of the road just outside of Dryden, Ontario. One of the truckers behind them was singing a gospel song on a private channel. “Isn’t this amazing? We’re just hanging out singing Old Rugged Cross on the two-way this fine morning,” said Madsen in the video.

She said the movement they are part of is not anti-vax, as it is commonly referred to in the national media when it actually receives coverage. “It’s not about vaccinated or unvaccinated. This is not an antivaccine protest. Sign after sign, we see words like, I’m fully vaccinated. I support the convoy. People are saying enough is enough. We want the mandates to end for all. Plenty of those in the convoy are vaccinated, but the point is that mandates remove choice. Many also feel like the goalposts keep moving because first, it was one shot, then it was two shots, and now it’s three and four shots,” said Madsen. The kick-starter for the convoy was a mandate by the federal government that began on January 15, requiring truckers crossing the USA/Canada border to be vaccinated or be forced to test and quarantine upon entry. For an unvaccinated trucker crossing the border for work, a quarantine period would effectively render them unable to do their job. Forcing someone to do something they are adamantly against or fearful of is wrong, said Madsen, especially when their job is hanging at the end of the stick. The USA recently put in a similar mandate for their border. A long string of transports from the United States has joined the convoy in Ottawa supporting their Canadian neighbours.

“I don’t think we really understand the impact of what we are doing. I just watched a video that showed drone footage and helicopter footage and ground-level stuff, and at the same time, it’s voice clips of people on Zello, leaving messages. It’s inspiring and impactful! These little kids and their sweet little voices are saying thank you to the truckers. Suddenly, I was like, this isn’t just about the people standing on the side of the roads cheering us on. This isn’t just about us driving to Ottawa. Everyone has been sitting at home, isolated, living their lives for two years, and all of a sudden, everyone is lifting their heads and realizing they aren’t alone. It’s like an awakening.”

As of Friday, January 28 at 11 pm, the GoFundMe raising money for the convoy is at 7.7 million and continues to grow. Over 97 thousand donors have contributed. Since the start of the convoy, truckers from all over the world have started their own movements, including those in the United States and Australia. At every turn, the Canadian convoy organizers stress that there must never be violence. Peace is the only way. “Our children are learning about freedom and our rights. We are praying the whole way, learning about community, making connections, and building friendships. The kids are learning the opposite of what they’ve been taught the last two years of staying away from people. It’s been such a rich experience. This is history, and they are part of it,” said Madsen.