'Freedom Convoy' heads to Ottawa from Quebec border crossings
Quebec truckers who disagree with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination mandate gathered at several Canada-U.S. border crossings Friday morning before heading out to join the so-called "Freedom Convoy" to Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Starting Jan. 15, COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all truckers entering Canada from the U.S., which also does not allow unvaccinated Canadian truckers to cross the border.
Protesters started their gatherings at the border crossings of Saint-Théophile in Chaudière-Appalaches, Stanstead in the Eastern Townships and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle in the Montérégie.
They departed their meet-up locations at 11:45 a.m. and the plan, according to a Facebook page called "Freedom convoy 2022," is to drive to the area of Highway 40 in Vaudreuil, west of Montreal, before heading to Ottawa.
"Keep calm, no aggression, no words, bring your best smile and your good mood," states one message encouraging truckers to remain peaceful.
Over the last week, the movement has grown to include other groups, including conservative political allies, that protest public health guidelines in general, saying they violate their freedoms.
They say they want Ottawa to end all vaccine-related mandates, even though that is the jurisdiction of provincial governments.
Large associations, like the Canadian Trucking Alliance, say they do not support the movement, noting 90 per cent of members are vaccinated and respect protocols.
Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec (CTAQ) estimates the vaccine requirement means there could be between 12,000 and 16,000 fewer truckers on the road.
Sylvie Cloutier, president and CEO of CTAQ, states the food supply chain, already weakened by the pandemic and a labour shortage, will cause food prices to rise even more -- something federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra denies.
"I don't want to minimize the fact that we have to remain vigilant and work together to address these issues," Alghabra told The Canadian Press. "But this notion that we're going to starve is really unfortunate and does a disservice to Canadians, to Canadian society and to the debate that we need to be having."
ARRIVING IN OTTAWA
Participants in the Canada-wide “Freedom Convoy” were congregating before Parliament by Friday afternoon.
One protestor told The Canadian Press he showed up with the aim of “removing all restrictions.”
“When the truth comes out, it’s sad to say, but there are people who will have to stand trial,” said Paul Poulin, a veteran of the Royal 22e Régiment.
Another protestor, trucker André Landry, accused journalists, doctors and politicians of lying to the population, telling one Canadian Press reporter that “there are plenty of people like you who are happy to tell lies.”
Ottawa police say they expect the affair to be a “multi-day” event and that they’ve called in reinforcements.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: What can we expect from the trucker convoy in Ottawa this weekend? Freelance investigative journalist Justin Ling with details
LEGAULT GOVERNMENT ACTING CAUTIOUSLY
The Legault government is reacting cautiously to the movement.
According to CAQ parliamentary leader Simon Jolin-Barrette, people can express themselves, but it must be done in an orderly fashion.
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, the minister was asked to comment on the convoy of truckers converging on Ottawa to protest mandatory vaccination at the border.
On the sidelines of the CAQ virtual caucus, Jolin-Barrette acknowledged that everyone is anxious to move on and get the pandemic over with.
"Everyone is aware that we must make the necessary efforts to continue to fight the virus. We must not give up .. Everyone has adapted over the past two years, the entire population. Quebec has adapted to this new reality that has struck," the minister said.
"Everyone in Quebec is anxious to move on, that's very clear."
-- With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.