Canada: Trucker protests hit PM Trudeau

Created: 02/10/2022, 15:42

By: Tanja Koch

In addition to vaccination requirements for truck drivers, government pandemic restrictions are also the subject of protests in Canada.

© Jacques Boissinot/dpa

The demos against compulsory vaccination in western Canada have expanded into blockades against the entire corona policy.

Now there is a risk of damage to the economy.

• In Canada and now also in the USA* and other parts of the world, truck convoys are protesting against compulsory vaccination and Corona policy*.

• There were blockades on a bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

• The protests could harm the economy.

Ottawa – Sparked by mandatory vaccinations for truck drivers, a convoy left western Canada for the capital Ottawa in January.

But the protests in Canada are now about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's corona measures as a whole.

Hundreds of truckers have been blocking the country's political center for about two weeks.

They block access routes, hold up signs that say "Trudeau's new home", with bars of a prison painted underneath, and demand freedom instead of the perceived "corona dictatorship".

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's pandemic management is sometimes strict.

Against the background of the new Omicron variant, Trudeau introduced new measures such as travel restrictions and the closure of bars and restaurants.

While Trudeau also experienced headwind from his own party *, his Corona policy initially gave him increased poll numbers.

But now there are signs of a trend reversal.

Corona demo in Canada: Imitators are holding similar protests in other countries

The trucker protests from Ottawa are now spilling over into the world: convoys modeled on the demonstrations in Canada are now also in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

According to dpa, various media quoted a warning from the US Department of Homeland Security that a convoy based on the Canadian model could set off from California on Sunday for Washington, thousands of kilometers away. 

While four out of five of Canada's 38 million people are fully vaccinated* and a majority support both mandatory vaccination and restrictions on those who don't want to be vaccinated, skepticism is stronger in the US.

This is probably one of the reasons why there was a temporary complete blockade of an important border bridge between Windsor in Canada and the American industrial metropolis of Detroit.

This disrupted both the automotive industry and agricultural exports. 

Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau warns of economic consequences

Several car factories in the area were short of components, causing manufacturers to shut down their production lines.

Business associations pointed this out.

The protests could therefore cause losses of 50 million dollars a day for the companies.

Ford announced it was closing an engine plant in Windsor and cutting hours at a second location, British daily The Guardian reported. 

"If there are prolonged blockades at key border crossings into Canada, it could have a measurable impact on Canada's economy," TheGuardian quoted Bank of Canada's Tiff Macklem as saying.

“We already have strained global supply chains.

We can't use that at all now."

Prime Minister Trudeau also made his anger clear about the protests: Even if he will "always defend" the right to freedom of expression and criticism of the government - "You have no right to block our economy, or our democracy or daily life our fellow citizens.

It has to stop.” (Tanja Koch)