Hundreds of anti-vaxer truckies blockade Ottawa

The head of parliamentary security said MPs should go elsewhere because of concerns their addresses had been published online.

‘Vax me Trudaddy’: The convoy on the outskirts of Ottawa at the weekend. Picture: Maxar Technologies via AFP

Canadian MPs have been told to hide from anti-vaccine protesters as a huge convoy of trucks clogs Ottawa’s roads.

Flying the Canadian flag, waving banners demanding “freedom” and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the truck drivers were joined on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) by thousands of other protesters on foot, angered not only by Covid-19 restrictions but by broader discontent with the government.

“It’s freedom or slavery,” said Susan, a retiree who was following the convoy. She said Mr Trudeau should face criminal charges for imposing lockdowns and making vaccines compulsory in certain cases.

The “Freedom Convoy” began as a cohort of drivers protesting against a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers imposed by Trudeau’s Liberal government. It exploded into a broader protest against public health measures, with a strong anti-vax bent, sucking up extreme groups that have talked about assaulting politicians and a civil war.

The head of parliamentary security said on Thursday that MPs should go elsewhere because of concerns their addresses had been published online. In a YouTube video one man called for a Canadian version of the siege of the US Capitol. On Friday, police chief Peter Sloly described the demonstration as “unique, fluid, risky and significant”.

The convoy began 4500km away in British Columbia and was joined in Ottawa by truckers from eastern Canada. En route it was cheered by thousands of supporters, and a fundraiser to reimburse driver costs has received $7m. Their cause has been taken up by figures including Elon Musk, the Tesla boss, who tweeted: “Canadian truckers rule.”

One of the organising groups, Action4Canada, has vowed to stay in Ottawa until mandates are reversed. “It is time for the tyranny and corruption to end,” it said.

Hotels in Ottawa can bar unvaccinated guests but many residents opened their homes to the protesters, in a city where large numbers of people have lost their jobs because of vaccine mandates.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, which disapproves of the rally, said that only 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers who regularly crossed the border were unvaccinated.

Mike Millian, president of a group representing private trucking fleets, said the number was closer to 40,000. He said his association backed vaccines but not mandates. “Where’s the data that shows cross-border drivers are responsible for spread?” Mr Millian asked, adding that Canada-US trade was worth $C700bn a year. “If you remove a quarter of the cross-border workforce that delivers 70 per cent of trade, you’re going to have a supply crunch.”

However, he denounced extremist groups, something for which he had received “nasty” messages and calls.

Cathryn Carruthers, co-founder of Families for Choice, which wants parents to be able to choose whether to vaccinate their children, said: “The truckers now represent millions of Canadians.”

Despite the anger against Mr Trudeau, lockdowns are implemented by Canada’s provinces, mostly governed by Conservatives. In Ontario and Quebec, where indoor dining is banned, vaccine passports are required in restaurants, bars and cinemas. Quebec’s right-leaning government extended them to purchases of alcohol and legal cannabis, which caused sign-ups to quadruple. Mr Trudeau’s government, by contrast, has control over international borders, travel and vaccine procurement. The Prime Minister, 50, said the convoy had “fringe” and “unacceptable views”. About 81 per cent of over-5s in Canada are fully vaccinated.

THE SUNDAY TIMES