They’re back! Well, not really. And certainly not like before.

For months, organizers of the Freedom Convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa last winter have been calling for a July 1 return to Parliament Hill to protest government policies. Some residents have expressed concerns that their lives will once again be disrupted. 

That isn’t going to happen. Police have apparently learned their lesson and will enforce the law, rather than turning a blind eye to infractions then whining they didn’t have the resources to deal with the situation they helped create.

No heavy trucks will be allowed into the downtown core for the holiday. Any law-breaking will be dealt with. So why didn’t they do that in January?

As testimony unfolds before the various committees looking into the events surrounding the Freedom Convoy and the unprecedented imposition of the Emergencies Act, it is becoming increasingly clear that the federal government botched its response. Not that anyone from the government is prepared to admit that. 

It will be very interesting to see what the final conclusions are, whether the government is found to have had no justification for its suspension of civil liberties. Mind you, judging from the testimony of various cabinet ministers so far, they probably don’t care. 

As the demonstrators converge in downtown Ottawa today to celebrate Canada’s birthday and protest government overreach, maybe we should all take a moment and consider what Freedom means. 

Let us not take it for granted. Happy Canada day!