Across Canada, thousands went out to protest against the mandates that have been imposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Ottawa, thousands were at Parliament Hill to share their voice.
An original catalyst for the protest was related to the trucking industry’s recently imposed vaccine mandate.
“Because of all this garbage you know, we can’t cross the border,” said Valentin Chobano, a truck driver who attended the protest in Ottawa. “It gives you all a headache, you know.”
While early reports suggest the protest was mostly peaceful, images surfaced of a Terry Fox statue defaced.
Also, Pat King, one of the more controversial figures in the group who identifies himself as an organizer, posted a video of him knocking on Prime Minister Trudeau’s office door.
For safety reasons before the protests started, the RCMP moved Justin Trudeau and his family to an undisclosed location.
“While a number of Canadians are in Ottawa to voice their displeasure over this mandate, it also appears that a great number of these protesters have no connection to the trucking industry and have a separate agenda beyond a disagreement over cross border vaccine requirements,” read a statement released today by The Canadian Trucking Alliance.
From the nation’s capital to the capital region — the lawn of the B.C. legislature saw what some organizers called the city’s largest anti-vaccine mandate protest to date.
“We’re done with these restrictions, done with these lockdowns, done with these mandates,” said Joel Hemmerling, a protester at the event.
Former Newfoundland Labrador Premier Brian Peckford drove from his home in Parksville to show his support, just days after filing a lawsuit over federal COVID-19 travel restrictions
“They’re violating the sacred law of Canada, which is the constitution and the charter of rights and freedoms,” said Peckford.
Similar protests took place all over the country. As of now, it’s unclear how long the protests will continue.
Kevin Charach
