COVID-19 protesters demonstrate across Canada in support of truck convoy in Ottawa
Protests sparked by vaccine mandate on cross-border essential workers like truckers
People gathered across Canada on Saturday in support of a large protest against COVID-19 measures in Ottawa.
A convoy of thousands of truckers and other protesters have converged on Parliament Hill to call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions — a demonstration that has police on high alert for possible violence even as organizers urge the growing crowd to be peaceful.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside Confederation Building in St. John's. Some held signs supporting truckers and protesting vaccine mandates, while others waved Canadian flags.
There was a police presence, but the event remained peaceful.
Vehicles drove down Prince Philip Drive in St. John's as the protest ended, blowing their horns and waving flags. Posts on social media Saturday also show dozens of vehicles gathered outside the Corner Brook Civic Centre, and a small convoy of vehicles in St-Pierre-Miquelon.
In Alberta, huge crowds converged on the Alberta Legislature grounds in Edmonton.
A truck convoy, which started from Acheson, Alta., just west of Edmonton, arrived in the city on Saturday at around 12 p.m. MT, to show support for the Parliament Hill protest. Most protesters were carrying Canadian flags — some were upside down — and signs. Some signs lent support to truckers, but many suggested the government has taken away freedoms.
Further south, a separate convoy of cars, trucks, farm tractors and other vehicles filled the highway from south of Lethbridge, Alta., to the Canada-United States border crossing in Coutts.
RCMP say the large demonstration has blocked off Highway 4 in both the north and southbound lanes, stopping traffic to and from the border crossing. Cpl. Curtis Peters, an RCMP spokesperson, says U.S. officials are turning traffic around on the other side of the border.
In Manitoba, groups of people rallied in front of Winnipeg's City Hall on Main Street and the grounds of the Legislative Building.
The group at city hall started the event by singing O Canada, with many holding Canadian flags throughout the crowd. At one point, people at Winnipeg's city hall shouted in unison "Roussin, leave our kids alone," referring to Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer.
Semi-truck drivers from across Saskatchewan — escorted by police — converged on legislative grounds in Regina. They were met by at least 1,000 cheering supporters. Premier Scott Moe thanked truck drivers in a letter posted to Twitter Saturday morning.
"The current federal border policy for truckers makes no sense," he wrote. "An unvaccinated trucker does not pose any greater risk of transmission than a vaccinated trucker."
Moe's comments contradict public health information on the Saskatchewan government's website, which states that COVID-19 vaccines "will reduce the risk of transmission and, when transmission occurs, reduce the risk of serious illness and death."
In the Northwest Territories, about a hundred people drove across Yellowknife to voice opposition to public health restrictions and show solidarity with the Ottawa convoy. Hundreds of vehicles also jammed streets in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna in British Columbia.
The protests across the country were sparked by a vaccine mandate imposed by the federal government for cross-border essential workers like truckers. It has since morphed into a larger movement against other public health measures.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance has come out against the convoy protests, saying 90 per cent of cross-border truckers are vaccinated.
Andrew Steele, a vice-president at consulting firm StrategyCorp., said polls show public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of strong vaccine requirements for essential workers and that companies and trade groups need to read the room.
With files from The Canadian Press