THEY ARE THE DISGRUNTLED RIGHT WING

The Canadian protesters aren't just truckers. Here's who has been showing up and what they want

By Paula Newton,
CNN  - Yesterday 3.

A massive protest by Canadian truckers and others against Covid-19 mandates has been growing for weeks, crippling three US border crossings and downtown Ottawa -- with no end in sight.

So, why are the demonstrations happening now? What exactly are they about? And what's being done to address them? Here are some key questions and answers about Canada's Covid-19 protests.
What are truckers protesting in Canada?

Thousands of truckers are participating in the so-called "Freedom Convoy," fighting a vaccine mandate that is forcing all Canadian truckers crossing the US-Canadian border to be fully vaccinated or face quarantine in their homes for two weeks when they return.

The rule went into effect in mid-January in Canada and January 22 in the United States. The US Department of Homeland Security now requires noncitizens entering the United States via border crossings or ferry terminals along the US northern and southern borders be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.


© Olga Samotoy/SPTNK/AP

People protest Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa on February 5.

Before this mandate, truckers were exempted from the vaccine requirement and permitted to cross the border, at times testing for Covid-19, even during the 18-month period that the border was closed to nonessential traffic. Truckers were considered vital to keeping supply chains functioning normally.


© Adrian Wyld/AP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question from the media availability on January 31.

Nearly 90% of Canada's truckers are fully vaccinated and eligible to cross the border, according to the Canadian government. So, the protesting truckers represent a "small, fringe minority," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, adding early on that his government did not expect the vaccine mandate to significantly affect supply chains.
How have the protests evolved?

The Freedom Convoy of truckers began its protest in January in Canada's western provinces, with the goal of reaching the nation's capital, Ottawa, and continuing to protest until the vaccine mandate was lifted.

On its cross-country journey, the protest has attracted support from thousands more Canadians, even some who are fully vaccinated, who say they want all Covid-19 preventative measures dropped, including mask mandates, lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings.

A large, noisy convoy, including hundreds of trucks and other vehicles, descended January 29 on Ottawa. Since then, they have snarled traffic and honked often and loudly. Protesters in more than 60 vehicles also disrupted traffic at Ottawa International Airport on Thursday, circling the arrivals and departure terminals, airport officials said.


© Justin Tang/The Canadian Press/AP

People hold signs and wave flags along Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill on February 5 as part of the Freedom Convoy protest.

In several other large Canadian cities and towns, protest crowds emerged over the first weekend of February with hundreds of trucks and thousands of protesters. Rallies also took place in Toronto, Quebec City, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Meantime, Friday marked the fifth day protesters impeded access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario -- the busiest international crossing in North America.

In addition, a mix of semi-trailers and farm equipment shut down the border crossing connecting Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Manitoba. The Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana has also been blocked.

Similar protests soon could erupt in the United States, including around Sunday's Super Bowl in Southern California, American officials warn. Right-wing media outlets have raised the prospect of like-minded rallies in the US and offered positive coverage of those in Canada.

What do the protesters want?

Protesters will remain in Ottawa "for as long as it takes for governments across Canada to end all mandates" associated with Covid-19, Freedom Convoy organizers said last week in a statement.

Some want Trudeau to speak with them and hear their opposition to the mandates and restrictions, those protesters told CNN. Trudeau has no intention of meeting with protesters, who hold views "unacceptable" to most Canadians, he has said.
What has the impact been on Canadians?

The blockades have slowed the movement of goods and caused production problems at car manufacturing plants along the border. Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have all announced auto production issues in Canada.

The Ambassador Bridge "is too essential to both of our national economies, and ... puts a lot of bread on the table for our families on both sides of the border," Windsor, Ontario, Mayor Drew Dilkens told CNN this week.

In Ottawa, residents and service providers in the downtown core feel like hostages in a city under siege, they've told CNN. Most businesses in the area have been forced to close; they include a large mall next to the protest site.

Dozens of trucks remain in Ottawa's downtown core in what local officials have described as an "occupation." The police chief calls it "unlawful," as property damage, thefts and mischief have been reported, along with hundreds of alleged hate crimes. Some 1,000 calls related to the demonstration have been received, plus 25 arrests made and more than 1,500 traffic and other tickets issued, police said Thursday.

A judge this week signed a temporary injunction that prevents protesters in Ottawa from using horns during their demonstrations, court documents show.

In Windsor, Dilkens secured a court injunction Friday to help put an end to the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge. The injunction, which will give police more power to end the ongoing protest takes effect this evening after giving protesters an opportunity to clear the area, Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz said.

At one point during the hearing, when responding to counsel representing the protesters, Chief Justice Morawetz said the protesters demands for freedom are resulting in the direct denial of freedom for many others in society. "We're dealing with millions of dollars of damage each and every day," he said.

"If they refuse to leave, then police will have operational plans identified, we have resources that have come here from across the province of Ontario and from across Canada with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and one by one we'll start towing the cars if required," Dilkens said.

What has PM Justin Trudeau said about all this?

Trudeau, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, has said the protesters do not represent the vast majority of Canadians, about 80% of whom have opted to get fully vaccinated. Most believe public health restrictions save lives, the Prime Minister has said.

He implored protesters parked in trucks right outside the parliament building Monday to end their demonstration.

"Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens' daily lives. It has to stop," Trudeau said during an emergency debate in Ottawa that marked his first public appearance since isolating after he and some members of his family contracted the coronavirus.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that protesters have a right to voice their concerns but said residents don't deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods.

"This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians, but Canadians know the way to get through it is continuing to listen to science, continuing to lean on each other, continuing to be there for each other," Trudeau said after underscoring that Canadians are tired of Covid-19 health restrictions.

By Thursday, the Prime Minister was employing stronger language in a series of tweets: "The illegal blockades and occupations happening across the country ... (are) harming the communities they're taking place in -- and they're hurting jobs, businesses, and our country's economy."

Trudeau had spoken with Windsor's mayor "about the illegal blockade of the Ambassador Bridge ... because it is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border," he tweeted. He'd also spoken with opposition party leaders, asking all lawmakers to "denounce these illegal acts -- and to call for an end to these blockades."

About 80% of Canadians are vaccinated. Why so much angst now?

Almost 4 of every 5 Canadians are vaccinated, according to the Canadian government. However, provincial governments and the federal government have enforced various vaccine mandates, stoking ire among those politically opposed and fatigue among others as the pandemic hits its two-year mark.

At the federal and provincial level, Canada has enforced some of the strictest Covid-19 measures in the world, with widespread mask mandates and restrictions on the size of gatherings, not only at large events and restaurants but also in private homes.

A vocal minority of Canadians says they agree with the truckers' protest, saying is it time to drop most Covid-19 restrictions. With so many Canadians complying for so long with vaccine and mask mandates and other Covid-19 measures, some say public health officials and government leaders are now going too far.

As one couple who said they are fully vaccinated feel they did their part and now they want to move on, they told CNN.

Had Canadians staged serious protests over Covid-19 rules before this?

Various smaller protests took place across the country against health measures and mandates in 2020 and 2021. However, this is the largest and most widespread protest of its kind to date during the pandemic.
What Covid-19 rules are in place for Canadians who are not truckers?

Several provinces are beginning to drop some mitigation measures and allow the reopening of restaurant dining rooms, theaters, cinemas and gyms, albeit with capacity restrictions.

Decisions about most of these health restrictions and how and when to ease them are determined not by the Trudeau government but by individual provinces.

There is still a federal vaccine mandate for passengers traveling by air domestically or internationally. In addition, all federal public servants are required to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment.

How might the Covid-19 protests end?

Possible solutions include persuading protesters to disburse voluntarily; the government giving into demands; and police removing the protesters. Military force is considered highly unlikely as Canada's armed forces are not a police force and they "are not involved in law enforcement in this situation," Defense Minister Anita Anand told CNN.

The Trudeau government will send more officers to protests across the country, saying Thursday the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national police force, continues to show decisive action.

"The RCMP are going to be sending additional reinforcements to Ottawa. I also can advise that the RCMP will be sending reinforcements to Windsor and in addition to that the RCMP have added additional resources at Coutts, in Alberta," said Marco Mendicino, Canada's public safety minister.

"Our top priority is to make sure that these illegal blockades end," he said.

Fact check: A fake Trudeau letter and other false claims about Canadian protests swirl on social media

By Daniel Dale, CNN- Yesterday 


On Wednesday, we debunked a bunch of false claims about the ongoing Canadian protests against vaccine mandates, Covid-19 restrictions and the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

But there are still a bunch more false claims swirling on this subject. Supporters of the protests -- which involve a minority of Canadian truckers, plus far-right activists and a variety of other citizens -- continue to promote inaccurate information, some of it complete fiction.

Here's a breakdown of three of the falsehoods that were circulating on social media on Thursday.

A phony letter purporting to be from Trudeau

Some supporters of the protests have shared an image of a letter supposedly signed by Trudeau and his chief of staff, Katie Telford.

The letter includes a supposed offer from Trudeau to meet with protest participants for a specific amount of time that varies depending on whether they are truckers and when they got vaccinated. One example: "2 Minutes per Trucker that can show proof of vaccination received prior to February 8th."

The letter was posted on a Reddit page supporting former President Donald Trump and by various users of Twitter, TikTok and Telegram.

Facts First: The letter is fake, Trudeau spokesperson Cameron Ahmad confirmed to CNN.

In addition to its bizarre substance, the letter has other obvious signs of phoniness: grammatical errors, inconsistent formatting and a title ("Ottawa Convoy Protesters") oddly placed above the logo of the Prime Minister's office. Some social media users suspected the document was intended as parody, but others took it as real.

Trudeau told reporters in late January that he had no intention of meeting with the protesters.

A false story about a nonexistent court order

Numerous social media users, and at least one right-wing website, have claimed that a judge or court ordered police in Ottawa to give back the fuel they had seized from protesters as part of an effort to end the demonstrations, which have involved large trucks and other vehicles noisily occupying downtown streets in the Canadian capital.

The claim about a court order was echoed by prominent protester Pat King, who was listed as a regional organizer of the "Freedom Convoy" that started the demonstrations in January. King repeated the claim during a Facebook livestream on Tuesday that received more than 347,000 views.

The claim about the supposed court order was followed by other related claims. When Ottawa officers continued seizing fuel, for example, some social media users claimed that the police were defying the court order.

Facts First: No judge or court has ordered Ottawa police to return seized fuel or to stop seizing fuel.

Patrick Champagne, press secretary to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, told CNN on Thursday that he had been informed by the Ottawa police legal team that the claim about a court order was "a fabrication." Brian Gray, spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General, told CNN on Thursday that court staff had "conducted a search" for the court order but had been "unable to locate any such order."

A video that made the rounds on YouTube and Twitter, which had been captioned as if it showed police returning fuel to protesters, simply showed fuel containers that demonstrators had refilled and brought in themselves. Nothing in the video suggested that police were returning fuel to demonstrators.

"The Ottawa Police are not returning seized items associated to the demonstration, such as fuel," a police spokesperson said in a Thursday email to CNN.

King did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

A false claim about Ottawa police officers

Claims have circulated on social media that Ottawa police officers are not required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, unlike Canadian truckers who cross the US border. (In mid-January, Canada began requiring truckers who cross the border to be fully vaccinated or face two-week quarantines upon returning home; this requirement helped to spark the protests. More than 85% of Canadian truckers who regularly cross the border are fully vaccinated, the primary advocacy group for Canadian truckers said in January.)

The Post Millennial, a Canada-based right-wing website, published a Tuesday article headlined, "Ottawa police not subject to vaccine mandate but truckers they're arresting are." A Twitter account that calls itself "Canadian Patriots" generated more than 5,400 retweets by tweeting on Sunday, "A friendly reminder that the @OttawaPolice is exempt from the vax!" Facebook posts making similar claims appeared in groups supporting the protests. Conservative former Canadian opposition leader Stockwell Day tweeted on Wednesday that Trudeau "allows the Ottawa police to not be vaxxed but not truckers?!"

The Post Millennial, like others that promoted the claim about a police exemption, cited Canadian broadcaster CTV News as its source.

Facts First: It's not true that Ottawa police officers are exempt from Covid-19 vaccine mandates; Ottawa officers are required to be fully vaccinated. While officers were initially exempted, Police Chief Peter Sloly eliminated this exemption more than three months ago, in late October, and set a January 31 deadline for officers to be fully vaccinated. There is indeed a CTV News clip that talks about Ottawa officers being exempt, but it is outdated; it aired in October, days before the exemption was abandoned.

About 84% of Ottawa officers were fully vaccinated even before Sloly ditched the exemption on October 29, the Ottawa Citizen newspaper has reported. CTV and CBC reported last week that fewer than 10 Ottawa officers were on unpaid leave because they hadn't received even one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. There are about 1,480 officers on the force.

It's possible that some of the people who spread this false claim were genuinely confused because the CTV News website did not put a date on the clip that was being widely shared on social media. In other words, it isn't immediately obvious that the video is old.

Still, accurate information about Ottawa's current vaccination policy for officers is easy to find on Google. In fact, Reuters published a fact check on the subject on Wednesday morning.