On February 13, Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, announced that the province’s COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination requirements will be lifted in two weeks, not because of the protests that have shut down the border and paralyzed Ottawa, but because “it is safe to do so.”
That same day, Canadian law enforcement officials announced that the internationally significant Ambassador Bridge had been reopened after being blocked by protesters for nearly a week in Ontario, giving businesses hope that the unrest had slowed to a halt, Fox News reports.
Ford condemned the “Freedom Convoy” as an “illegal blockade.”
“I want to commend and thank the Windsor Police, OPP, RCMP, and all frontline officers who worked throughout the weekend to bring a peaceful end to the illegal blockade at the Ambassador Bridge,” Ford tweeted. “I will also continue to support Mayor Watson and the Ottawa Police in their efforts to bring the occupation in that city to an end. To those still there, you have been heard, and it’s time to go.”
On January 15, Canada ended the exemption for truckers from the vaccine mandate, meaning all truckers must now be vaccinated, and truckers returning to Canada must undergo testing and a week of quarantine.
Before the cross-boarder mandates were made official, The American Trucking Associations’ chief economist and senior vice president of international trade policy and cross-border operations, Bob Costello, urged leaders in Ottawa and Washington to reconsider, fearing “further economic disruptions.” He reiterated that commercial truck drivers spend the majority of their time alone, stating they have lower infection rates and miss less work than employees in other professions.
Costello told The Wall Street Journal, “We believe these mandates will only serve to push drivers out of the industry or away from these routes, further straining the supply chain between the U.S. and our biggest trading partner.”
Canada’s mandates were passed, and subsequently a rally was organized by Canadian truck drivers in protest.
A week later, the United States enacted a similar policy, closing its borders to unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Mexican and Canadian truck drivers, on January 22. Around 160,000 truckers cross the border regularly, 75% of them Canadian.
The second weekend of protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions took place in Canada’s capital, with demonstrators effectively occupying Parliament Hill.
More than four thousand people attended Sunday’s protests in Ottawa, authorities said, more than two weeks after a group of Canadian truckers blocked traffic through the city’s main streets, Yahoo News said.
Former President Donald Trump issued a statement in support of the protests.
“The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates,” he declared.
Last week the U.S. Department of Transportation said they feared trucker protests in America — namely during the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, California – but no instances of trucker protests materialized over Super Bowl weekend.
Truck drivers left the Ontario pandemic restriction protest on February 13, but pedestrian protesters continue to demonstrate despite the increased police presence.
USA Today reports hundreds of police officers were stationed near protesters on the Canadian side of the border crossing on Saturday morning. For six days, demonstrations were blocking the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor.
Canadian police cleared the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, on Sunday. The Christian Science Monitor reports that protests in Ottawa have continued.
Early on February 13, Windsor police said 12 people were arrested peacefully, and seven vehicles were towed near the Ambassador Bridge, which connects their city — and numerous Canadian automotive plants — with Detroit.
Copycat protests are also taking place in other countries, including France and New Zealand.
