Picture credits: Al Jazeera
Under this mandate, unvaccinated Canadian truckers who enter the country from the United States were required to undergo Covid- 19 tests followed by two weeks of self-quarantine.
However, a section of workers raised their voices against this mandate. It was largely driven by anti-mask, anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown sentiments. All of this initially began as a peaceful protest against the rules in place for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated cross-border truck drivers.
However, with time it descended into violence with protestors going on to deface monuments, displaying hate symbols, and threatening local residents. It has also resulted in the stranding of perishables at border checkpoints, sparking fears of disruption to supply chains and loss of revenue.
The 'Anti-vax' trucker protests have disrupted the border trade between Canada and USA.
It presented a scene before us that was at odds with Canada’s reputation of harboring polite, respectful, and law-abiding citizens.
Thousands of protesters railed against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions which were imposed on them. They deliberately blocked traffic around Parliament Hill causing chaos.
It is known to be Canada’s biggest pandemic protest to date. A lot of the residents were outraged by some of the crude behavior that was displayed.
Canadian lawmakers and economists have expressed their growing concern about the economic effects that will take place due to disruptive demonstrations after the busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada became partially blocked by these truckers.
The blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, prevented traffic from entering Canada. It’s a cause of concern as it's one of the most important border crossings in the world. It carries approximately 25 percent of all trade that is carried out between Canada and the United States.
Canadian Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra was quoted saying that “such blockades will have serious implications on the economy and supply chains”.
Even a six-hour delay can cause production disruptions because nowadays factories are running lean on part supplies with an already fragile supply chain to rely on.
Even a six-hour delay can cause production disruptions because nowadays factories are running lean on part supplies with an already fragile supply chain to rely on.
The protesters also threatened to stop supplies of fresh produce, livestock, and other food items.
The daily protests staged by the so-called “Freedom Truck Convoy” are centered around Ottawa. The demonstrators have used hundreds of parked trucks to paralyze parts of the capital for more than ten days.
They have made it clear that they will not leave until all vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
This protest has not only sparked outrage in Canada but in the whole world. Everyone is awaiting what stance will follow next.
On having an overview of the entire situation and looking at the facts and figures we can see that Canada’s largest trucking company is virtually untouched by the vaccine mandate for truckers who are crossing the United States - Canada border.
On the bright side, the protests do not represent the industry in which about 90% of drivers are vaccinated.
Canada’s President Justin Trudeau gave an important statement. He said that everyone is tired of Covid-19 and that the restrictions are not going to last forever. He also noted that Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the United States but Canadians have largely supported these measures, proving they are good citizens.
Canada’s death rate is also one-third that of its neighbor.
These protests are nothing but a reflection of the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation that is being spread online. Sadly, it has gained support from former US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Residents residing in nearby places were extremely disturbed to see people desecrate one of the most sacred monuments and wave swastikas and other symbols of hate and intolerance.
Infectious- disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, Dr. Peter Hotez tweeted “Canada gave us kindness, tolerance, poutine and hockey, and in turn we exported this awful fake health freedom movement linked to far-right extremism that caused so much senseless loss of life in America and now might do the same there,” “Our apologies.”
This tweet provides us with a jest that summarizes the feelings of the majority towards this situation.
Written By: Varima Tandon
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