NIAGARA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) – A Canadian father who runs a trucking company says that he is facing four criminal charges because he participated in the Freedom Convoy of 2022 and must soon turn himself over to the Ottawa Police Service to be processed.
In an emotional video posted online yesterday, Harold Jonker, who runs Jonker Trucking Inc. out of Niagara, Ontario, explained his recent situation before going inside his local police department to be issued a bond related to his charges. His wife and kids were at his side.
Jonker said that he will turn himself in to Ottawa Police on May 10, when he will be processed, and then make a court appearance.
In total, Jonker faces one charge of mischief for obstructing property, another for intimation by blocking or obstructing a highway, and two counts of counsel for an uncommitted, indictable offence.
He first learned about his charges after being contacted by the Niagara Regional Police Service, which told him to come to the police station.
In his video, Jonker said that his charges were “pretty confusing,” but he was “very thankful to have my wife here, my family was here as well and a bunch of my drivers are drivers from Jonker Trucking and friends, as well as the former mayor of West Lincoln.”
“And, yeah, May 10th, 2023, I have to go to Ottawa to turn myself in. I’ve just signed a bond.”
Jonker said that he will try to make sure his fingers are in “good shape” when he turns himself in to Ottawa police to be fingerprinted, but noted he will be in the area anyway because he will be attending the March for Life, which will be taking place on May 11.
He added that while he is “concerned this is not” going to be “easy,” he noted at the “same time, we know that our Heavenly Father takes care of us.”
“And, yeah, May 10 in Ottawa, also I’ll be in Ottawa now, May 11th, for March for Life. So, God takes care of us,” he added.
In February 2022, Jonker drove to Ottawa in his semi-truck alongside 12 other trucks from Jonker Trucking. Of note is that in the recent Freedom Occupation documentary, which was distributed by True North News, he was featured rather prominently.
Jonker, who conducts about 90% of his trucking business in the United States, said the reason he participated in the Freedom Convoy was that he did not like the way COVID restrictions were impacting most Canadians.
As noted in a True North report, Jonker said that the protest was “never just about the truck drivers to us.”
Jonker’s charges come some 15 months after the Freedom Convoy was held in Ottawa, which took place in January and February to protest COVID mandates imposed by the federal, provincial, and local governments.
The Freedom Convoy protests resulted in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacting the Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022, to shut it down.
Trudeau had disparaged unvaccinated Canadians, saying those opposing his measures were of a “small, fringe minority” who hold “unacceptable views” and do not “represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other.”
Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23 after the protesters had been cleared out.
Hundreds of protesters were arrested for participating in the Freedom Convoy while the EA was in place. Many had their charges dropped. However, some still have outstanding charges.
Jonkers is already working with a lawyer from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) due to another matter related to his involvement with the Freedom Convoy.
He noted that he does not personally know of anyone else from the Freedom Convoy who has recently been charged.
The use of the EA resulted in nearly $8 million in locked funds from 267 bank accounts. Additionally, 170 bitcoin wallets were frozen.
The freezing of bank accounts without a court order was an unprecedented action in Canadian history and was only allowed through the Liberal government’s invocation of the never-before-used EA.
Liberal-friendly Judge Paul Rouleau last month exonerated Trudeau’s use of the EA to decimate the Freedom Convoy after releasing the final report of the Public Order Emergency Commission.