By invoking an Emergency Act, Canada ended a weeks-long protest by Canadian truckers which continued for more than three weeks in the country.
Canadian truckers protesting a proof of Covid-19 vaccination while crossing the United States border occupied parts of Canada for several weeks. The truckers defied the vaccine mandate and demanded Prime Minister Trudeau’s resignation.
Not all truckers are opposed to the vaccine mandate. Thousands of Canadian truck drivers have been inoculated against the pandemic. Based on the Canadian Trucking Alliance source, about 90% of Canadian truckers were already vaccinated.
Truckers that waged the protest spree in the country were a minority. They called themselves “Freedom Convoy”, and continuously protested in various cities of Canada, Ottawa, the country’s capital city, being the most affected one.
During the protest, those truckers wreaked havoc on places they occupied. They blockaded the core of some Canadian cities, mainly Ottawa, and brought about disorder and dismay. Also, blockaded areas included Alberta and Montana (a US town) borders and Ambassador Bridge which connects Winsor, Ontario to Detroit.
The demonstrators harassed residents by continually honking and telling people to take off face masks. Also, the protesters urinated on war memorial statues located in the capital, thus desecrating the country’s iconic sites. In solidarity with the “Freedom Convoy”, ordinary citizens came out in different cities and objected to the pandemic restrictions.
Canadian Truckers haul fairly much-needed goods between Canada and the US. They shuttle between the two countries and deliver essential commodities of different kinds. Neither country affords to close its border due to the high demand for the goods. Both the countries were short of required supplies during the time the Canadian truckers were protesting. According to Canadian statistics, more than 227,000 Canadians are truck drivers.
The truckers didn’t get what they demanded. Neither the vaccine mandate nor the face masks have been lifted, nor has Prime Minister Trudeau resigned.
Eventually, the truckers were cleared out of their strongholds. During the government operation, “Ottawa police… towed away over 70 vehicles, and arrested 191 people, bringing a total of 389 charges against 103 of them. Three of the protest’s key organizers were arrested and charged with “mischief,” and two of them are now out on bail.”
A polling firm called “Maru” questioned thousands of Canadians about the “Freedom Convoy” and found that 70% of respondents supported the Emergency Act taken by the federal government to dismantle the “Freedom Convoy”.
“We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue,” Trudeau said as he invoked the Emergencies Act, which granted police to dismantle the protest process.