Truckers Headed To Ottawa For Vaccine Mandate Showdown

Written By Marc Patrone, Posted on January 19, 2022

Truckers opposed to federal Covid-19 vaccine mandates are preparing to converge on Ottawa in a protest expected to draw a convoy of at least 1600 rigs, according to organizers.

Tamara Lich, working with trucker Chris Barber from Swift Current Saskatchewan, started a fundraising campaign on social media that raised several hundred thousand dollars within days of its ‘GoFundMe’ page launch.

“We have a massive team behind us now. We are going to roll across Canada. They are going to go to Parliament Hill and sit there and protest, peacefully of course until these mandates are lifted,” said Ms. Lich, an oil and gas worker from Medicine Hat Alberta.

The mandates, which came into effect January 15th, require unvaccinated Canadian truckers to quarantine and take a COVID-19 test when they re-enter Canada from the U.S.

The new rules also require US truckers to present proof of vaccination in order to cross the border. Many of them continue to decline the shots rather than gain access to Canadian destinations.

This has cut US trucking capacity in half according to the American Trucking Association which estimates that anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of US truck drivers are fully vaccinated.

An estimated 10 percent of Canadian truckers have declined the Covid jabs so far.

Ms. Lich says the truckers mounting the challenge are from Vancouver to the Maritimes and include vaccinated and unvaccinated drivers.

Ms. Lich stated that:

A lot of these drivers do cross the border on a regular basis. My parents run a business and they cross the border all the time. As of Saturday (January 15th), they can’t do that. This is going to seriously impact our supply chain, groceries, goods, necessities, but it’s also impacting their livelihoods.

Besides undermining the trucking industry, the new vaccine mandates for drivers are likely to increase the cost of products. George Pitsikoulis; CEO of Canadawide Fruits, told Bloomberg News the cost of transporting fruit from California and Arizona to Canada has climbed 25 percent.

Demonstrators with the ‘Freedom Convoy’ will be leaving Vancouver for Ottawa on January 23rd. They will be joined by a group from Calgary and will add drivers merging on the Trans-Canada highway heading east.

They expect to arrive in Ottawa on January 28th and say they’ll stay until the mandates are lifted.

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Marc Patrone

3 responses to “Truckers Headed To Ottawa For Vaccine Mandate Showdown”

Darren MacKay says:

January 20, 2022 at 3:12 pm

You have mentioned that you are Starting this Convoy because TRUCKERS are NOW AFFECTED

You’ve Also Mentioned that you want to end Mandates for a Variety of Groups – Mentioning Specifically Government Employess; but not to stop with this Select Group.

With all the Government Employees being given an Ultimatum – They are Seemingly ONLY Looking at One Side of the Coin in All this. They Talk about what has Happened to them; and be it Unfair as it May be:

What about "Those" that they are Charged with the Duty and Care to Protect. Do They Not have any Say as to Whom their Care Providers should be.. or What State of Health they are In, if they are COVID + ?

My Mother had to Quarantine in her Room + and Have 3 Negative Tests = Before she was Permitted to Leave her Room — BECAUSE A STAFF WORKER TESTED POS.
I’m Not Permitted to Enter the Premises to Visit her;
She is Not Permitted to Leave the Facility.

I was PREVIOUSLY "Forced to Sign a Waiver"- If I Catch Covid I Cannot Sue them / OR I would Not be Permitted to Visit her..

Yet they held Public Vaccination Clinics.
___________________________________________________

My Family Members are in a Mental Heath Institution, Working their ASS OFF for 50¢/ hr
at Workshops:
Picking Up Garbage
Cutting Grass
Doing Gardening Cutting Plants until he got Blisters on his Fingers,
When My Brother hurt his Leg they told him Not to Return – If he couldn’t do the Work -Carring Lumber and Making Pallets.
Carrying Jugs of Water to a Work Shop because they didn’t have any
etc.etc.

Aren’t they "Essential Workers" or Even to be Considered to be Treated Decently?
I’m SURE there Aren’t any Social Workers’ or Doctors, Out Picketing for them!

And I’m SURE it was the GOVERNMENT’S DECISION that THEY were VACCINATED… Yet; The are ON LOCKDOWN!

How can Health Care Workers be On One Side of the LINE and EXPECT EXEMPTIONS and On the Other Side of the Line JABBING those that are FORCED to VAX

Workers Come and Go… FREELY?
While the Others are Treated Like Hostages and Prisoners.

The List of Unfair RULES is almost ENDLESS!

I Cannot Support Government EMPLOYEE EXEMPTIONS in ALL.
IF Government Employees are Unhappy, They Need to Come to the Same Side of the Picket Line as the Public… And I’ll SUPPORT EQUAL RIGHTS.

That Goes for the TRUCKERS as well.

This Seem Like a HOLLOW VICTORY FOR MANY
Why Not Get the REAL JOB DONE!
James Gross says:

January 22, 2022 at 12:33 am

I hope they block off all routes in and out of the Ottawa downtown core, effectively shutting down business and putting pressure on Trudeau the Traitor to put an end to the two caste system in Canada. Fuck vaccine mandates. Fuck Trudeau. And fuck any fascist POS who thinks I’m a lesser citizen for opting out of a vaccine that doesn’t prevent getting or spreading COVID.
Rolling Stoner says:

January 24, 2022 at 5:47 pm

The time has come to restore FREEDOM to ALL Canadians. This tyrannical, fascist government has woken the sleeping giant. The people of this country will no longer stand for their divisive, segregationist, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, illegal BULLSHIT!! We stand UNITED and will NOT allow the likes of fascist dictators to control our lives any further!! THE BULLSHIT STOPS NOW!!!!!