Jim Watson, the mayor of Canada’s capital, Ottawa, declared a state of emergency on the 6th of February. The action has been taken in response to trucker protests against COVID restrictions, which have been going on for more than a week now.
He has stated the situation to be “out of control”, as the demonstrators have outnumbered the police. The protest therefore, posed a threat to public safety.
Furthermore, the center of the capital has been paralyzed due to vehicles and tents blocking the streets. Apart from this, the residents are furious at continuous horn blaring, traffic disruption and harassment. Police confirmed on Sunday that they are dealing with more than 60 criminal investigations.
How did it start?
The movement got triggered when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implemented a vaccine mandate for truckers traveling over the US-Canada border. A revised measure has been proposed that would either mandate vaccination or require those who are unvaccinated to remain quarantined once they return home.
Hence, it began as a cross-country drive, by a loose coalition of truckers and conservative groups, in western Canada.
A large number of demonstrators were already frustrated by the stringent COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Justin Trudeau and his policies. As a result, it attracted enormous support as it spread in the east.
The “freedom truck convoy” has gathered support from many US Republicans as well, including former president of the United States Donald Trump, who referred to Justin Trudeau as a “far- left lunatic” for his “insane COVID- 19 mandates.”
What makes it problematic?
Canada is already dealing with the problem of rising inflation, which is further strained by inclement weather, a pandemic and labor shortages. Therefore, many firms believe mandates will aggravate existing supply chain issues.
Moreover, the protestors have stated that they will not back down until the COVID-19 mandates are repealed. They have also recently begun calling for Justin Trudeau to be removed from power.