Correcting the misperceptions around the growing group of Patriotic Canadians protesting across the country.
The Canadian Yellow Vests have been holding rallies and protests across Canada, speaking out against the Trudeau government, and in support of Canada’s energy & political sovereignty.
The Yellow Vests have also been subject to media reports, including reports that have cast them in a negative light.
In particular, reports focused on some of the comments on the Yellow Vest Canada Facebook group – a group that has over 100,000 Canadians in it.
Following those reports, I was contacted by Coleen Mac, who is the lead moderator the Yellow Vest Canada official Facebook group.
Coleen wanted to set the record straight about what the Yellow Vests are really about.
What Canadians should know
To start, I asked Coleen to describe what she wanted Canadians to know about the Yellow Vests:
She said people need to know “why we’re protesting.” One of the big issues for the group is wanting to “withdraw from the UN Global compact on migration, that’s a big thing. We want Canada’s sovereignty back, not open borders. We want to be able to dictate what’s going on in our country.”
“Another thing is, we’re against the carbon tax. We are also for our pipelines and our energy production. Canada using Canadian resources providing Canadian jobs for our industry, versus shopping outside of the country.”
Coleen also made the important point – often ignored by those who claim to the love the environment – that using Canadian oil is far better for the environment than shipping oil from around the world into our country.
Immigration
There is a big misperception some seem to have about the Yellow Vest Canada position on immigration said Coleen.
“Yellow Vest Canada is NOT against immigration. We are for, or pro, LEGAL immigration. Very clear distinction. Illegal immigration, or as a certain political party likes to call them “irregular,” immigration is what we’re opposed to.”
Added Coleen, “I also very strongly believe it [illegal immigration] is a huge disservice, not only to Canadians, but to those individuals and the scores of people who came legally, following the rules, standing in line to do their medical and criminal checks and all of that, a huge disrespect to them, because they’re following the law, the rule of law.”
There are a lot of legal immigrants joining the Yellow Vests said Coleen, because of anger over illegal immigration and people skipping in line.
Free speech
“Freedom of speech and expression is one of the highlights for us to be a Canadian, and we’re not happy about losing those rights,” said Coleen.
We also discussed the Trudeau media bailout, which Coleen said is “paid narrative, fake news” and something the Yellow Vests oppose.
A peaceful movement
Coleen said she wants people to understand that “We are a peaceful movement. We advocate no violence. We advocate no threats. We are not in agreement with that at all.”
While other Yellow Vests in Europe may be in the streets, Coleen says “We are Canadians, and that’s not what we are advocating. What we are advocating is as simple as putting on a Yellow Vest, flying a Canadian flag, and peacefully standing there with your signs.”
Moderating the Yellow Vest Canada Facebook group
One of the key areas of controversy for the Yellow Vests in Canada has been the Facebook group, where some comments and threats were reported on in the media.
As the lead moderator, here’s what Coleen had to say:
“I can tell you as a moderator, we rely heavily on the members to use the ‘report’ function to flag us to an issue in a comment thread. There are over 120,000 people in this group.”
“It is very true that, sadly, there are fringe in anything. I could be talking about daycare moms, it doesn’t matter, there’s always the possibility of a fringe.”
Coleen pointed out how it’s unfair to paint over 100,000 people in the group a certain way, based on the comments of “100 or 1000” people.
And the Yellow Vests are working to get rid of those comments said Coleen:
“It’s a huge issue, and we work very, very diligently. If the members report it, the moderators are flagged, we go investigate that thread to see what the context is. Because sometimes the reports are ‘I just don’t like what that person said’, there’s nothing wrong with that they said, there’s nothing out of line.”
“But there are times when it’s completely out of line,” Coleen added. “And when it goes to that level, not only is that comment deleted, that person is blocked and banned outright. That’s it, they’re out. A huge move that I’ve instituted over the last three and a half weeks is ‘zero tolerance.’ If I find it, it’s gone, and that person is gone. It doesn’t matter, it’s not appropriate, it’s not going to serve a useful purpose.”
Agitators
Coleen also pointed out something that has been ignored by much of the media – the role of agitators in trying to hurt the image of the Yellow Vests.
She said that when controversial or threatening comments are found, “It’s usually, I find, agitation, usually to get everybody riled up or we do have a core group of embedded Antifa agitators in there, who are deliberately getting people upset, then things are being said that are out of line, then screenshots are being taken, and people are doxxed.”
Coleen says the posts made by the official group are focused on “not being divisive,” and realizing that “we’re all Canadians,” instead of “identity politics” trying to “separate us all into different groups.”
“We need to unite” Coleen says.
The issue for the group has been some of the comments made on those posts “because it’s an open page.”
It’s an important point. Believing in free speech means people are free to make comments. And in a group with a massive amount of supporters in the country and over 100,000 people following, then even a small percentage of people – including infiltrators – making extreme comments can certainly be used by the media to try and make the whole group look a certain way.
Coleen is clearly trying to get rid of those comments and ensure the group is focused on core ideas and goals, and it’s unfortunate that the establishment media chose the path of sensationalism instead of reporting the facts.
Threats against Yellow Vest Canada members
Here’s something else the media hasn’t reported on: The fact that Yellow Vest Canada members are getting threatened.
Coleen has to take steps to protect and conceal her identity due to the mounting threats against her.
The media was glad to talk about threats made by people claiming to be Yellow Vest Canada members, but if that’s considered newsworthy, then threats against Yellow Vest Canadians are also newsworthy.
Coleen said that “the Antifa group tried to get me fired, they inundated my place of employment on a Friday afternoon with emails and phone calls lodging complaints of racism and all kinds of terrible awful stuff, expecting me to be fired come Monday morning.”
“I’ve had a lot of threats,” said Coleen. “I have a husband and a family, and I have to protect them as well while I’m doing this.”
“I’m very proud of what I’m doing” she said. “I wish I could be more forthwith about that stuff, but right now that’s not a safe decision sadly.”
She added, “I was born here, this is unbelievable, that I’m in danger to walk down the street anywhere in Canada with a Canadian flag and that could make me a target is beyond my comprehension.”
Patriotic Canadians
Speaking with Coleen made it very clear that she, and the Yellow Vests are Patriotic Canadians, standing up for the basic values and beliefs that are at the core of Canada.
Coleen wants a Canada that is unified, free, sovereign, and using Canadian resources to power our economy, which is what the majority of Canadians want as well.
The establishment media and far-left agitators have done everything they can to demonize the Yellow Vests and change how they are perceived, and my interview with Coleen is an important step towards correcting those false impressions and setting the record straight.
People like Coleen Mac and the Yellow Vests make our country a better place, and they deserve credit for – even at risk to themselves – standing up for what they believe and standing up for Canada’s national interests.
To learn more about the Yellow Vests Canada in their own words, I encourage you to visit the website below:
Yellow Vests Canada
Spencer Fernando
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