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Truck drivers from all over Canada are descending on Ottawa to call for an end to vaccine mandates. The historic protest has popular support both nationally and globally, even as Prime Minister Trudeau dismisses their pro-freedom message as “fringe” and “unacceptable”.

A historic convoy of trucks, cheered on by crowds of protesters, has begun rolling into Canada’s capital city of Ottawa this weekend.

Arriving from as far away as British Columbia — a 40-hour journey — truck drivers are headed for Parliament Hill to ask the Trudeau government for an end to vaccine mandates and other rolling Covid restrictions.

The protest has drawn nationwide attention, with Canadian citizens braving the winter conditions to wave the Maple Leaf flag and pro-freedom banners from streets and highway bridges.

Since mid-January, both Canada and the United States have required truck drivers to show proof of vaccination when crossing the 9,000km border between the two countries.

As many as 32,000 — or 20 per cent of the 160,000 cross-border truck drivers — are affected by the mandate, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance. Truckers are also protesting mask mandates at ports of entry and prohibitive quarantine requirements for the unvaccinated.

Canada in the International Spotlight

Organised by Canada Unity, the convoy has gained support from American public figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan. “Canadian truckers rule,” Musk tweeted, followed by a warning that “Freedom is being stripped away one piece at a time until it is gone.”

Joe Rogan characterised the rally as a “revolt” against Trudeau’s leadership. “It’s a giant convoy of trucks,” he said to a guest from Montreal as they viewed footage of the protests. “That’s apparently some insane amount of people.”

British comedian and commentator Russell Brand also weighed in, asking:

Why are the media not reporting this important story of people coming together to express themselves peacefully? Why is that? And why is it that the truckers are being cast as villains in a national narrative when previously they were heroes?

Canada native Jordan Peterson has likewise voiced strong support for the rally. “The convoy coming out of British Columbia heading to Ottawa is now 70 kilometers long. American truckers are joining,” he tweeted, along with strong denunciations of Trudeau’s mandates.

The Longest Truck Convoy in History?

The Toronto Sun reported that up to 50,000 truckers may end up making the journey to Ottawa, though many have called this estimate an exaggeration. According to The Daily Wire, the number may be closer to 10,000, but still “may prove to be the longest truck convoy ever recorded”.

The current world record for a truck convoy was set in Cairo, Egypt, when 480 trucks formed a 7.5km parade in 2020.

Commenting on the convoy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed Canadians who believe vaccination should be decided by individuals rather than the government. In an address, he labelled pro-freedom citizens as a “small fringe minority of people … who are holding unacceptable views”.

Opposition leader Erin O’Toole, who has held wavering view on vaccine mandates, said this week that he would meet with some of the truck drivers to discuss their concerns.

Image by National Post.