Trucks roll into Ottawa for protest against Canada’s vaccine mandates

Published January 30, 2022
Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 29. — Reuters
Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 29. — Reuters

OTTAWA: Trucks rolled into Canada’s capital Ottawa on Saturday to stage what police say will be a massive protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates in front of parliament on a frigid winter day.

The so-called “Freedom Convoy” — coming from east and west — started out as a rally against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a demonstration against government overreach during the pandemic with a strong anti-vaccination streak.

“It’s not just about the vaccines. It’s about stopping the public health mandates altogether,” said Daniel Bazinet, owner of Valley Flatbed & Transportation in Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast. Bazinet is unvaccinated, but operates domestically and so is not affected by the cross-border mandate.

He is in a convoy of some 200 trucks slowly arriving from the east, and says public health policies pushed by Trudeau’s government have gone too far.

“Where’s it all going to end? That’s how a lot of people feel,” he said in a telephone interview.

Already dozens of trucks were lined up in front of parliament on Saturday morning, blowing their horns, as thousands of people gathered peacefully on the snow-covered lawn of parliament. Few wore masks, but many were in balaclavas as the temperature with windchill was minus 21 Celsius (minus 6 Fahrenheit). By the end of the day, some 2,700 trucks are expected, a federal government source said.

The violent rhetoric used by the some of the promoters on social media in the run-up to the protest has worried police, who were out in force.

“We are prepared as best as we possibly can for those who chose to come here to do harm or cause others to do harm,” Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said on Friday, adding the demonstration would be “massive in scale”. Trudeau and his family have left the home where they live in downtown Ottawa due to security concerns, the CBC reported. His office said it does not comment on security matters.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Ukraine initiative
Updated 21 Feb, 2025

Ukraine initiative

Whether Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative succeeds or not, it will be difficult for Kyiv, Europe to face Russian military machine without US support.
High cost of SOEs
21 Feb, 2025

High cost of SOEs

THERE are losses and then some. The finance ministry’s latest overview of the federally owned state enterprises...
Poor impression
21 Feb, 2025

Poor impression

RECENT developments in the Senate have provided cause for concern on how parliamentary business is being conducted....
Premature alarm
Updated 20 Feb, 2025

Premature alarm

Improvement in headline inflation gives policymakers chance to fix investment policies, implement structural reforms.
Forsaken province
20 Feb, 2025

Forsaken province

AND the endless cycle of violence continues. The brutal killing on Tuesday night of seven Punjab-bound passengers in...
In poor health
20 Feb, 2025

In poor health

THE absence of decent and affordable healthcare in the country continues to ruin lives. An example of this is ...