Tamara Lich is a key organiser of the “Freedom Convoy” that arrived in Ottawa. The protests, which were once narrowly focused, have mushroomed into a sprawling campaign supporting, in some case, far-right, anti-government grievances. Steve Bell, Ottawa’s deputy police chief, described the protesters as “highly determined and volatile.” Police officials there have asked for 1,800 more officers, which would more than double the current size of the force. The police seized canisters of fuel that was being delivered to the protest encampments. More than 400 trucks and other vehicles were illegally parked throughout downtown, including right across from the Parliament building. There have been thousands of demonstrators, and Trudeau has ruled out using the military to disband the protests.Īll the towing companies contracted by the city of Ottawa have refused to tow the vehicles, Steve Kanellakos, the city’s manager, told reporters. After consulting the police, the company shut down the campaign and said it would refund the rest of the money to donors, citing “violence and other unlawful activity” during the demonstrations.Ĭan the government clear the protesters out? Protest organisers raised about 10 million Canadian dollars, about $7.8 million, through GoFundMe for the “Freedom Convoy” cause, though only a small fraction of that has been disbursed. Some automakers ran plants at reduced capacity and cancelled shifts because of delays created by blockades. Police were investigating a possible arson attempt in the lobby of an apartment building downtown. Some residents say they have been harassed on the street, and recount being frightened or even chased. During the first 11 days of the protest, truck horns blasted up to 16 hours a day.Ĭrowds of protesters are roaming the streets of Ottawa, many wearing Canadian flags as capes or carrying them on hockey sticks. Watson has described the protests as unbearable and has declared a state of emergency.
The goal is to disrupt daily activities for residents and slow down the economy in order to force federal officials to roll back pandemic restrictions. Joël Lightbound, a Liberal member of Parliament from Quebec, said that people worried about the government’s policies had “legitimate concerns” and that Trudeau should not “demonize” people worried about the restrictions. There are now tent encampments, tables with hot coffee and mittens.Įven some allies of Trudeau say the overall target of the protesters - pandemic restrictions - is worth examining.
In Ottawa, the protesters are hunkering down.
Canadian trucker strike drivers#
Trudeau initially dismissed the protesters as a “small fringe minority” - a majority of Canadians say they support public health measures intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus - but the protesters are having an outsized impact for their small numbers.Īlso read: ‘Come out to fight’: Asian truckers feel strain of diesel surgeĪfter first blocking traffic in Ottawa, the truck drivers later staged similar protests in other cities including Toronto, Quebec City and Calgary, as well as on the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, a vital link for the automobile industry. On January 22, convoys of truck drivers departed from British Columbia en route to Ottawa, Canada’s capital, to protest a vaccine mandate - imposed by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - for truckers entering the country from America. Here is what you need to know about how a handful of people turned Canada, whose constitution calls for “peace, order and good government,” into an unlikely springboard for a budding global movement.
Mayor Jim Watson of Ottawa said, “We’re in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced.” The protests quickly inspired similar convoys in Australia and New Zealand. Truck drivers protesting vaccine mandates are parking their rigs in the middle of intersections in Canadian cities, blocking traffic and, in some places, bringing daily life and business to a standstill.
0 kommentar(er)
