Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family were taken to an undisclosed location as thousands of demonstrators protesting Covid-19 vaccine mandates gathered in Ottawa, the country’s capital, on Saturday.
The prime minister’s office updated Trudeau’s itinerary to say he was somewhere in the National Capital Region, when usually he is at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Trudeau recently went into isolation, and has been working remotely, after one of his children tested positive for Covid-19.
The so-called “Freedom Convoy” started out as a rally of truckers against a vaccine mandates for cross-border drivers, but turned into a demonstration against government overreach, including vaccine passports and lockdowns, during the pandemic. Many arrived in the capital from various part of the country and laid siege to Parliament Hill, the seat of power.
The group has organised itself under the name Canadian Unity, managing to raise more than CAN$8.4 million. “We are taking our fight to the doorsteps of our Federal Government and demanding that they cease all mandates against its people,” a declaration on the website said. The protestors have threatened to camp in Ottawa till their demands are met.
Trudeau on Thursday, ahead of the demonstrations, described the protesters as belonging to a “fringe minority”.
Much of the capital was shut down due to the arrival of the protesters. However, Ottawa police service said on Saturday night that there “have been no incidents of violence or injuries reported,” adding that “many streets in the downtown core are closed or impassable to vehicles.”
{{/usCountry}}Much of the capital was shut down due to the arrival of the protesters. However, Ottawa police service said on Saturday night that there “have been no incidents of violence or injuries reported,” adding that “many streets in the downtown core are closed or impassable to vehicles.”
{{/usCountry}}Concerns were raised over the possible presence of extremist elements in the group after at least one Nazi flag was seen, and protesters danced at and desecrated sites like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and National War Memorial.
This drew a sharp reaction from minister of national defence Anita Anand, who said that these were “sacred sites” for the country and the “behaviour” seen was “beyond reprehensible” in a post on Twitter.
Even though more than a quarter of Canadian truckers are of Indian origin - mainly immigrants from Punjab - their presence at the protests was muted, barring some videos and photographs of their joining the participants, including serving food.
The Ottawa Sikh Society (OSS) said the Gurdwara Sahib would be closed over the weekend after several social media posts said truckers could find food and shelter at the gurdwara. It said on Facebook that posts suggesting that the gurdwara “will accommodate truckers’ convoy” were “false and unauthorised”, and OSS was “not associated with this protest in any shape or form”.
The Canadian Truckers’ Alliance (CTA) has already disassociated itself from the protest and has said nearly 90% of its approximately 300,000 members were vaccinated.
Referring to the vaccine mandate on truckers shuttling between Canada and the United States, which went into force on January 15, the CTA said, “The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated. As an industry we must adapt and comply with this mandate and the vast majority have.”
In a statement on Saturday, it added, “To those in the trucking industry that have chosen to participate in this protest regarding cross-border mandates, we ask that you engage in a peaceful demonstration today then leave the City of Ottawa to avoid any issues to the welfare and safety of the citizens of Ottawa.”
While the protests will continue, authorities could face challenges as the work week commences, particularly as the House of Commons is scheduled to convene on Monday.