What is the Freedom Convoy? Trucker protests in Canada explained

Protesters also began disrupting traffic at Detroit’s Ambassador bridge, a major trade corridor between Canada and the U.S., on February 7. (AFP)
Protesters also began disrupting traffic at Detroit’s Ambassador bridge, a major trade corridor between Canada and the U.S., on February 7. (AFP)

Summary

  • Economic blockades and other demonstrations form in opposition to the country’s Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates

Since late January, downtown Ottawa has served as a parking lot for hundreds of heavy-duty trucks, pickup trucks and other vehicles, operated by individuals who say they are fed up with the social restrictions and vaccine mandates meant to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Protesters also began disrupting traffic at Detroit’s Ambassador bridge, a major trade corridor between Canada and the U.S., on Feb. 7. The blockade caused auto makers who rely on cross-border trade to curtail production and send employees home. On Feb. 11, protesters opened a lane of traffic for U.S. vehicles entering Canada, hours before a Canadian judge ruled that police could remove the demonstrators.

Some of the vehicles involved in the protests are adorned with Canadian flags, along with signs and slogans demanding that rights under the country’s constitution be restored—among them, the right to decline to get vaccinated for Covid-19—and that rules be abolished requiring vaccination to either work, travel or eat at the local pub. In Ottawa, the convoy, organized under the Freedom Convoy 2022 banner, has clogged up traffic in the city’s core, forced some businesses to shut their doors and disrupted residents’ daily lives. Tens of thousands of supporters have gathered near the country’s parliament on consecutive weekends to show their support.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has requested an additional 1,800 law-enforcement officers from the Canadian government to help “quell the insurrection" in the capital. Ottawa’s police force employs 1,200 officers. “We must do everything in our power to take back the streets of Ottawa," Mr. Watson said in a Feb. 7 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

What is the Freedom Convoy and why are people protesting in Canada?

Protest organizers are operating under the banner Freedom Convoy 2022. According to a statement posted to their Facebook page, a small team of western Canadian truckers, family members and friends decided in mid-January to launch the protest, with truckers and supporters converging in the capital in a peaceful protest. The group said the number of trucks headed to Ottawa was around 50,000. Police said on Feb. 10 that the number of vehicles in the area in front of Canada’s Parliament Hill was about 400.

The group’s goal is to compel all levels of government in Canada to repeal vaccine mandates—including one that applied to truckers as of Jan. 15—and other social restrictions, such as a ban on unvaccinated people from going to restaurants, bars and gyms. “Freedom is constantly at war with those who want to limit it, and it must be defended," the statement said.

A spokeswoman and fundraiser for the group, Tamara Lich, said demonstrators “would not stay a day longer than necessary. Our departure will be based on the prime minister doing what is right." Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal government implemented vaccine mandates affecting truckers—both Canada and the U.S. require truckers to be fully vaccinated to enter their countries—and would-be travelers on flights originating in Canada and long-distance passenger rail service.

How are the government and police responding to the protests?

Jim Watson, Ottawa’s mayor, declared a state of emergency in the city, effective Feb 6.

Ottawa police shifted into a more aggressive mode a week into the protest. As of Feb. 10, Ottawa police said they had made 25 arrests and issued 1,700 tickets for alleged violations such as excessive horn honking, public consumption of alcohol and the use of fireworks. Police have confiscated fuel gathered by protesters and warned of arrests for people trying to enter the main demonstration zone with fuel for trucks.

Meanwhile, a Canadian judge said on Feb. 11 that he would allow police to forcibly remove protesters at the Ambassador Bridge.

The government of Ontario declared an emergency on Feb. 11, citing both the protest in Ottawa and the blockade at the bridge. Premier Doug Ford said the cabinet would issue orders to establish steep fines for demonstrators who block trade corridors such as highways and airports. He said authorities would get the power to revoke driver’s licenses of protesters in Ottawa and at the Ambassador Bridge.

Mr. Trudeau, along with other federal officials, have ruled out heeding the protesters’ demands and entering into talks with the group. Mr. Trudeau said on Feb. 11 that “everything is on the table" when it comes to ending illegal activity by demonstrators but declined to give further details, citing the potential for violence at the demonstrations.

Lawyers acting on behalf of an Ottawa resident have succeeded in persuading a province of Ontario court to issue an order banning truckers from blaring their air horns. That order, issued Feb. 7, is valid for 10 days. Residents say incessant honking has disrupted their sleeping patterns and ability to work from home.

Who is supporting the Freedom Convoy?

Some lawmakers with Canada’s main political opposition, the Conservative Party, have expressed sympathy with the protesters’ cause. “Regardless of political stripe, we all want an end to the demonstrations, and we all want an end to the restrictions," said Candice Bergen, Conservative interim leader. She has called on protesters to remain peaceful and denounce any acts of hate. On the first days of the protest, images emerged of Confederate flags and banners with swastikas among the throngs of protesters—earning a stern rebuke from Mr. Trudeau and others.

Among the truckers’ most vocal supporters is former President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump said in a statement on Feb. 4 that the convoy was “peacefully protesting the harsh policies" put forward by Mr. Trudeau, who he referred to as a “far left lunatic…who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates." Mr. Trump added that protesters would be free to communicate with each other on a social media platform he plans to launch.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) tweeted his support for the protesters involved in the convoy on Feb. 6, saying, “They’re defending Canada, America, and they’re standing up for freedom!"

The protest group had raised over $10 million via the crowdfunding website GoFundMe, with proceeds, they said, to be distributed to protesters to cover the cost of fuel to drive to Ottawa and other expenses, such as accommodation and food. On Feb. 4, GoFundMe shut down the organizer’s money-raising drive, adding that it would distribute refunds to donors. “We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity," GoFundMe said in a statement.

Organizers have since shifted to another crowdfunding website, GiveSendGo. As of Feb. 11, the protest group had raised more than $8 million. The Ontario government said Feb. 10 it succeeded in getting a court order to freeze monetary donations to the protesters through GiveSendGo.

What is happening on the Ambassador Bridge?

On Feb. 7, a group of protesters, some saying they were inspired by the demonstration in Ottawa, began blocking the Ambassador Bridge, a major trade corridor that connects Detroit with Canada. A Canadian judge ruled on Feb. 11 that police could forcibly remove protesters at the Ambassador Bridge beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Protesters earlier tried to prevent the court from issuing the injunction by agreeing to open one lane for U.S. traffic into Canada. The City of Windsor, which is on the Canadian side of the bridge, and representatives for the auto industry had applied for the court order.

Most commercial vehicles have been diverting north to the Blue Water Bridge, which crosses the St. Clair River and is roughly 66 miles north of Detroit.

The economic ramifications of the Ambassador Bridge blockade have been significant. Auto makers curtailed production and sent employees home because parts required for assembly couldn’t be delivered because of the protest.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has estimated that 30% of two-way trade between the U.S. and Canada—about $600 billion annually—is shipped on trucks over that bridge. “If they can stop traffic in Windsor-Detroit, what does this mean for" other key trade corridors, said Dennis Darby, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

Another group of truckers has also disrupted traffic at a border crossing between Montana and western Canada.

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