OTTAWA — Trucks jamming Ottawa streets shut down the core of the national capital on Saturday as a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd packed Parliament Hill to demand the federal Liberal government end vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, promising to stay for as long as needed to fulfill their goals.
The sounds of honking horns echoed around downtown from vehicles parked and idling in front of the parliamentary buildings, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office and around the National War Memorial as protesters weaved between the semis and personal vehicles parked for blocks.
Many of those in attendance appeared to be unmasked. Some could be seen carrying copies of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Others carried signs reading "God keep our land glorious and free," "Make Canada great again," and "we are here for our freedom." Still more bore expletive-laden signs targeting Trudeau.
Parliament Hill was awash in cold air and the unmistakable smell of marijuana.
Hundreds more vehicles from Western Canada, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces were supposed to join in, but by the afternoon were being met with closures of streets and key highway exits leading to the core as police said there was no longer room for vehicles downtown, other than first responders.
The Parliamentary Protective Service had expected as many as 10,000 protesters as part of a weekend-long rally, and local police planned to maintain a presence downtown until crowds dispersed.
Though the aim of the protest was ostensibly to oppose vaccine mandates for truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border, attendees said that is only a small part of their demands.
"I can travel freely through the border and not be in contact with anyone. Yet I'm locked into my own country right now," said Tom Pappin, who came from just outside Ottawa. "I can't go on a holiday. I can't go to a restaurant, I can't go bowling. I can't go to a movie. You know, these are things that it's just gotten out of control."
Several in attendance said the gathering wouldn't likely be a one day protests and promised to stay parked by Parliament until vaccine mandate and public-health restrictions are lifted. Others wanted Trudeau forced out as prime minister.
"We need to fix this. We've got this amount of momentum going," said Karen Klus, who said she came from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., due to frustration over ongoing restrictions that have left her without work as a meeting planner in the travel industry.
She also chided Trudeau, who was isolating at home after one of his kids tested positive for COVID-19, for not meeting with the protestors to see if there was a way to address the crowd's concerns.
While the federal government has imposed a vaccine mandate for federally regulated workers and at the Canada-U.S. border, almost all COVID-19 restrictions fall to provincial jurisdiction. That includes mask mandates, business and school closures, and other public and private gathering limits.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe issued a statement saying the cross-border vaccine requirement made no sense and voicing support for calls to lift the rule. He also pledged to end his province's proof-of-vaccination policy "in the not-too-distant future."
Phil Haggart was among the group to counter-protest the convoy's message, saying he wanted to show that there were voices in favour of public health measures to slow the spread of the virus.
"Masks are important, vaccines are important, and mandates are important only because we need them to stay alive and not fill our hospitals up," he said as protestors rang cow bells close by.
While the mood of attendees appeared jovial and peaceful, not everyone was optimistic that the government would fold to their demands.
"It's a nice thought, but I don't think anything will happen immediately," said Phil Powers, a truck driver from Oshawa, Ont., who parked his trailer truck in front of Parliament Hill on Wellington Street for the weekend.
"This is the Canadian space to have the debate, so that's why we're here."
The memo being pushed by Canada Unity, the group that mainly planned the convoy, unlawfully demands Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and the Senate force the federal and provincial governments to lift all COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates. It does not mention truckers, and was initially sent to the Senate and Simon on Dec. 11.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement Saturday saying it appears that a great number of the protestors in and heading to Ottawa "have no connection to the trucking industry and have a separate agenda" beyond the cross-border vaccine requirement.
To the truckers in attendance, the association said their behaviour will impact the "majority of your colleagues from coast-to-coast who do not share your opinion but share your passion for the industry and country."
Police have warned their intelligence is flagging the potential for violence. Local law enforcement is working with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, RCMP and other agencies to identify any potential threats to public safety.
- With files from Laura Osman and Mia Rabson
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2022.
Stephanie Taylor, Erika Ibrahim and Jordan Press, The Canadian Press