A survey from the Angus Reid Institute says 72 per cent of Canadians say they believe you can have a good quality of life in this country.Carlos Osorio/Reuters

In late January, 2022, dozens of trucks and tractor trailers arrived in the nation’s capital to take part in a protest.

What started out as a rebellion against COVID-19 protocols morphed into something else, something bigger and more disturbing: It became a demonstration against Canada itself. There were reports of a manifesto that imagined the protesters taking over the federal government.

Patience among those living in downtown Ottawa wore out; residents demanded their city back. By Family Day weekend in February, police had moved in to arrest dozens of protesters and remove scores of vehicles that had occupied the precinct around Parliament Hill.

Somewhere along the way, the dissidents stole our flag.

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