It’s been two years since Canada’s Freedom Convoy protests. I have spent them in a Canadian jail. My name is Tony Olienick and I am a political prisoner.

I’m from a small town in southern Alberta called Claresholm. I’m the only son to my late father George and my mom Tessie, who is approaching her 81st birthday. Before I participated in the Freedom Convoy and was arrested, I helped my mom at our small hobby farm, among other things. After high school I became a journeyman plumber and gas fitter, but I eventually pursued what every little boy loves the most—playing with Tonka Toys in the sandbox. Starting with one backhoe, I grew a gravel quarrying and trucking business into an operation that employed two dozen people at times. I had multiple pieces of heavy equipment, trucks, and trailers.