OTTAWA–“Freedom Convoy” protesters held another rally in Parliament Hill on Monday Jan. 31, this time with speakers addressing the crowd as the Parliament resumes following a six-week break. The protest convoy is demanding that COVID-19 mandates and restrictions be lifted.
“Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of the press—in 1957, [former prime minister] John Diefenbaker said these basic freedoms, which became part of our bill of rights, must become entrenched in law, so they could not be threatened by the state today,” said ethicist Dr. Julie Ponesse at the rally.
“We have for two years ensured a pandemic of coercion and compliance.”
Trucks and other vehicles still continued to honk to show their protest in the third day of demonstrations.
William Ravensbergen, who owns a trucking business, said the truckers are staying in Ottawa.
“[Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] needs to listen to us because we are not the fringe minority that he says we are, he obviously doesn’t have a clue,” Ravensbergen, who came from the Niagara region, said in an interview.
Ravensbergen said many people have shown support to the truckers as they protest COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
“We’ve had a lot of love shown to us,” he said. “This is not just about the truckers, it’s for everybody.”
Scott Holt, a truck driver from Tillsonburg, Ont., said he can’t continue working as the company he works for runs cross-border loads, which now requires COVID-19 vaccination due to government mandates on both sides. But he said his manager supported him to join the protest convoy.
He noted that some truck drivers had to leave because of work or their families, but he’s staying.
“It’s about freedom for me. It’s about an overreach of the government, and that’s enough,” Holt said in an interview.
Some trucks and protesters have left the city after the weekend, and there was more police presence compared to the previous two days as Parliament resumed after going on recess on Dec. 15. Trudeau announced on Jan. 31 that he had contracted COVID-19 and will be in self-isolation.
Alexandra Maheux, a spokeswoman for government House leader Mark Holland, said the ongoing protest is not interfering with parliamentary business, adding that as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, the MPs have the flexibility to work in a hybrid House in this sitting, which remains in effect until June.
That means some MPs will be in the chamber, and others will participate virtually.
A memo circulated on Jan. 30 by Patrick McDonell, the House sergeant−at−arms, said security plans were being developed to ensure safety.
The “Freedom Convoy” protest started after the federal government introduced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers. The movement has since gained broad support from people who want an end to all pandemic restrictions and mandates.
Different convoys from all parts of Canada joined the main convoy as it travelled across the country, converging in Ottawa on Jan. 29. Massive protests were held on Parliament Hill over the weekend, and will continue into the week, albeit smaller.
Meanwhile, on Jan. 30, federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra hinted that the government is working on an inter-provincial vaccine mandate, requiring truck drivers to also be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while moving within Canada from province to province.
“[Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan] just last December announced that we are working on regulating all federally regulated sectors requiring vaccine. So there’s ongoing work. As of right now that policy is not in place, but no one should be surprised. But there’s work happening to get to get us there. So it will happen eventually,” Alghabra told CBC’s Rosemary Barton.
“Minister O'Regan announced it just last December, we campaigned on it last fall, and the work is ongoing to get us there.”
