Linked blockades sprung up in other parts of the country, including one at a major US border crossing that lasted six days and cost billions in lost trade. They swore in their own ‘peace officers’ and reportedly attempted to arrest members of the Ottawa police. They dug in with a network of satellite camps in other parts of the city and surrounding rural areas to keep occupiers fed and fuelled. Once in Ottawa, convoy organisers - some with very recent police and military experience - moved quickly to cement their successful occupation. They wanted demonstrations to become ‘Canada’s January 6th’, in reference to the storming of the US Capitol, and just in case their intent wasn’t clear enough, they even issued a pseudo-legal manifesto of demands that focused on ousting sitting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Organisers were openly calling for civil war and stating their intention to drive massive trucks - which can easily hide or become weapons - to the gates of Parliament. Well before trucks rolled into Ottawa, the threat of violence in the capital was obvious to security experts. In general, however, the media coverage of the early days of the occupation treated it as a loud but benign protest.īut from the very outset, this chaotic gathering was animated by a troubling and extremist agenda. The lawless mood at times turned dark, as protesters danced on the hallowed Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or threatened or assaulted local workers and residents. There were bouncy castles for kids, fireworks, DJ’d dance parties in streets blocked off by semi-trucks, and a festival ambiance. On weekends, the police inexplicably stood back as the blockaded streets filled with a mix of people opposed to Covid-19 restrictions and vaccines, conspiracy theorists, and those united by a dislike of the sitting government. Canada’s so-called trucker protests are evidence of the growing grip of disinformation, and the emergence of new and troubling home-grown threats to national security. The story of how this small group of convoy occupiers ended up triggering a national, provincial, and local state of emergency while shutting down the capital of a G7 country, is a cautionary tale for anyone who believes that Canada has escaped the toxic right-wing populism that has so divided our neighbours to the south. Canada isn’t immune to right-wing extremism As for the truckers, it’s estimated that nine in ten are fully vaccinated, and the industry has firmly distanced itself from the protests. Almost 85 per cent of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, among the highest vaccination rates in the world, and only a third of Canadians say they are ready to drop all Covid-19 restrictions. The protest’s theme grew murky as thousands of people joined on foot for what would become a chaotic, ongoing occupation of Canada’s capital city, steps from its seat of government.Īlthough convoy organisers and their supporters like to paint a picture of a divided country, in reality Canadians have been relatively unified in support of strong health measures over the course of the pandemic. The situation began in late January, when convoys made up of hundreds of tractor-trailers and personal vehicles converged on Ottawa to protest new rules requiring cross-border truckers to be vaccinated. Instead, the ongoing occupation has laid bare the increasing threat of home-grown populist, right-wing extremism and revealed deep problems in Canada’s democratic institutions. More than three weeks after a convoy of transport trucks first rolled into Canada’s capital city Ottawa and stayed, it’s become clear that this protest was never about truckers, vaccine mandates, or even about Covid-19 restrictions.

Canadian trucker strike