Truckers Opposing Vaccine Mandates Roll Towards Ottawa

Lines of trucks continued to roll into Ottawa, Canada, on Saturday afternoon, January 29, to join a convoy of truckers protesting outside parliament against COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border travel.

The main convoy set off from British Columbia on Sunday, January 23, and arrived in Ottawa on Friday ahead of a two-day protest scheduled in the city for Saturday and Sunday. Ottawa Police told downtown residents to “expect delays and major traffic disruptions.”

As increasing numbers of vehicles tried to reach Ottawa’s downtown area through the day, police began directing traffic away “to mitigate road safety issues” and asked that people do not travel the center of the city.

This footage, taken on Saturday afternoon, shows dozens of vehicles traveling toward Ottawa along the Trans-Canada Highway in Kanata, a western suburb of the capital, as drivers honked their horns and were cheered by roadside supporters.

As of January 15, Canada has required truck drivers to be fully vaccinated or face a two-week quarantine period when crossing back into Canada from the US.

On January 22, the US Department of Homeland Security began requiring “non-US individuals” to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination when entering the country through land ports and ferry terminals at both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders.

While the main demonstration got underway outside Canada’s House of Commons on Saturday, other, smaller convoys rallied in other Canadian towns and cities, including Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Winnipeg, and Calgary. Credit: @SamJord2 via Storyful