Convoy organizer Brigitte Belton’s mic drop: “Bodily autonomy. It is mine, not my government’s”

South-western Ontario Trucker Brigette Belton was one of the first convoy organizers. She testified that her group’s plans involved “slow rolling” across the province and it was not their intention to disrupt the lives of Ottawa residents. Belton’s testimony has been among the most rivetting sessions the Commission has heard as she was able to answer many questions the police executives were not. Photo: POEC

“I’m sorry. I draw the line when my government wants to throw something into my body I cannot remove. That is where I draw the line: bodily autonomy. It is mine. It is not my government’s.”

BRIGITTE BELTON, POEC, November 1st

Convoy organizer and professional Trucker Brigette Belton may have summarized the Freedom Convoy’s mission and purpose in two words: bodily autonomy.

Belton’s testimony before the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) on November 1st was packed full of detail an information which was unavailable to the numerous police executives who have spoken to the POEC to date. The Commission has heard from several of the Convoy organizers including Chris Barber and Steeve Charland.

The transcript below represents the portion of Belton’s testimony in response to questionner Paul Champ’s question, “Is there anything else you would like to tell the Commission about what happened while you were in Ottawa?”

Belton’s reply:

“I just want everybody to know that we weren’t there to disrupt the city residents, we were there to be heard.

I had given 32 emails, approximately, to MPs and MPPs. 32. Not one of them did anything for me.

I followed how things are supposed to go: you first go, and you complain. You try again. You try again.

And when CBSA sent me a reply, pretty much ‘Suck it up, buttercup, this is the way it’s gonna go. And you’re about to lose your job. So don’t worry about it.’

What did you want me to do? Sit down, lie down, lose everything be over a mandate that was really no longer in effect in the US?

That’s what my country was asking from me. That’s what Canadians that were supporting vaccine mandates were asking of me: to lose everything. Because they were afraid.

Because our government did a very good job at scaring people, making them so afraid that today’s still wearing face masks – many of us here are not.

That propaganda hurt our country. And having our prime minister saying that “there will be consequences for the unvaccinated and we don’t want them sitting beside our children on planes and trains and automobiles.”

And the amount of…I’m trying to control my anger over this gentleman, but the wording that he used was division, the whole time. Pit one person against another, shamed them, make them comply. And if they don’t, they will.

I’m sorry. I draw the line when my government wants to throw something into my body I cannot remove. That is where I draw the line: bodily autonomy. It is mine. It is not my government’s.”