The protest convoy that has been gaining steam and headlines over the last week reached Canada’s capital Friday, with a multi-day demonstration expected to grind official Ottawa’s business to a halt.
Big rigs lined Wellington Street Friday evening – a portend of protesters to come, united by a vague message of ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures after almost two full years of pandemic precautions.
Truckers’ ‘freedom convoy’ set to rally at Parliament Hill
The remaining truckers and other activists opposed to cross-border vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions are set to roll into Ottawa on Saturday in time for a rally on Parliament Hill.
For the past week, several teams of truckers and supporters across the country have been making their way to the nation’s capital as part of the “freedom convoy,” raising more than $7.8 million from more than 99,000 donations on GoFundMe along the way, as of Saturday morning. Some convoy participants have already been in the city since Friday, lining the streets and waving flags in front of the Hill.
The protest convoy carries a combustible load. Politicians can exploit it — or confront it
With a convoy of protesters gathering in the nation’s capital, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole addressed reporters Thursday evening and called on everyone — protesters and others — to “take the temperature down.”
That’s not a bad notion. A calm discussion about the vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers — its purpose, its consequences and the merits of the alternatives — might be useful right now, especially after a long and painful two pandemic years.
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