Traffic was stopped at a busy border crossing in North America, as Canadian truck drivers and others outraged by the immunization order spread their protest across Ottawa.
Trucks began blocking the Ambassador Bridge linking the cities of Detroit and Windsor by the end of Monday, shutting down traffic on both sides. On Tuesday, entry into Canada was still blocked as vehicles heading to the US descended into crawling. Each day, 8,000 trucks regularly cross the bridge, which holds about 27% of trade between Canada and the US. Protesters also pointed to another major border crossing in Coutts, Alberta.
The Canadian capital was constantly blocked by hundreds of vehicles from the “liberation march” as protest organizers demanded a meeting with all political leaders – with the exception of the prime minister, Justin Trudeau – to find a “peaceful solution” to the crisis.
Ottawa police said on Tuesday that 23 people had been arrested in connection with the illegal protests.
Ottawa deputy police chief Steve Bell told reporters that police had shut down large vehicles involved in the blockade.
He said about a quarter of the 418 protest trucks in the city center had children in it, and police were concerned about their safety in terms of cold, noise, carbon monoxide hazards and access to toilets.
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On Monday Trudeau reiterated his call for an end to protests, saying: “People are trying to stop our economy, our democracy and the daily life of our citizens. It must stop. ”
Speaking to the House of Commons, the prime minister noted that “the disease is affecting all Canadians” and that “everyone is tired of wearing a mask and following health regulations,” but noted that Canada has a very high goal. rates in the world and urged his people to continue to listen to science.
“Those who scold others for wearing masks do not explain what it is to be the majority of Canadians,” he said.
Only about 15% of the country’s truck drivers are not vaccinated and public health systems have been widely supported. But the convoy protest has attracted widespread support from anti-government groups and non-governmental organizations.
The Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, said that after days of unrest and harassment involving loud and continuous crying, Ottawa residents felt like captives in their own homes. “While everyone believes in the right to free speech, this journey has crossed the line of conduct that is acceptable to Canadians many times over,” Mendicino said.
He called for unity among the parties in the implementation of the law. Several prominent members of the opposition Conservatives have expressed support for the protest.
“There should be no disagreement between political parties over how we deal with this period. It would be a bad example to say that when you get to the capital of the country you have big equipment and prevent the capital from being able to force a reckless change in our public policy, ”Mendicino said.
On Tuesday, a member of the Trudeau faction said the protesters “had serious problems” and that the government had made a mistake in their conduct. “I fear that the political instability of this epidemic is undermining public trust in our public health facilities,” said Liberal MP Joel Lightbound.
The Minister of Emergency Management, Bill Blair – a former Toronto police chief – said party leaders, provinces and municipalities were working together to develop a response. “It is too late for the protest to end,” he said.
On Monday, an Ontario court judge granted an order by locals to stop singing for 10 days. But a loud bang was heard after the ruling, which included large trucks operating in front of parliament.
Tom Marazzo, acting spokesman for the trip, said on Monday that protesters wanted to go home but would not leave until “work was over”.
The first motive for the trip was the announcement last year that truck drivers crossing the US-Canada border would need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. But the demands of the protesters have grown to the point where all vaccinations have been met, including the overthrow of the Trudeau government.
“I’m sorry to insult the boy [Trudeau] but to be honest, in my opinion he has a world-class mind .227,” said Marazzo, a software developer and former member of the Canadian military.
“We have put it on the table with someone who really cares about Canada,” he said.
A message from Ottawa protesters has spread across the country and the United States, with similar convoys expected. Late last week, Ottawa police said Canadian crowd support had received substantial support from American individuals and groups.