Lachine trucking company says 'freedom convoy' participants don't represent the majority

Although many Quebec truckers took part in the “freedom convoy” to Parliament Saturday, a Lachine trucking company says they don’t represent the industry as a whole.

Drivers like Luc Bourbeau say they’re focused on keeping trucks on the road and the goods rolling in.

“If I go strike you [would] have no produce at restaurants and shopping centres, and that’s my job,” said Bourbeau, who works for Trans-West Logistics.

COVID-19 vaccines have been mandatory for all truckers entering Canada from the U.S. since Jan. 15, sparking outrage among some truckers and prompting them to arrange a “freedom rally” in Ottawa that began on Friday. As of Saturday afternoon, the demonstrators raised more than $8.1 million from donations made to their cause.

But not everyone is on board.

Bourbeau said that while he respects the right to choose whether to get vaccinated, he himself has followed “what the government says.”

And he’s not alone: according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, nearly 90 per cent of Canadian truckers are vaccinated.

For those who haven’t gotten the shot and can’t comply with the cross-border vaccine mandate, Trans-West Logistics says its making allowances.

“For others, what we try to do as much as possible,” said security director Andre Durocher.

Durocher says the company is trying to create routes within Canada so unvaccinated drivers don’t lose their jobs — but notes that these individuals make up a small minority of the workforce.

“What I see is people [who] want to do their job, earn a living, feed families. They’re not into those movements,” said Durocher. “Thats what we need to separate, the people’s opinions and right to protest […] versus ones of certain lobby groups or ones with hidden agendas.”  

In a statement posted Saturday, the Canadian Trucking Alliance also stressed that many of the protestors at the rally don’t appear to be connected with the trucking industry.

Although the event was spearheaded by truckers, other groups have joined the ranks to air their grievances with COVID-19 measures in general.

These participants appear to “have a separate agenda beyond a disagreement over cross border vaccine requirements,” the statement reads.