In the Canadian capital Ottawa, where traffic in the streets around legislative buildings has been hampered by a lorry drivers, who protest against the requirement to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to transport goods across the border, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected the possibility of involving army to disperse them, British broadcaster BBC reports.
Thousands of protesters arrived in the Canadian capital last weekend of January to protest vaccine mandates. Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly has stated, on Wednesday, February 2, that that protests could grow again this weekend as he admitted «there may not be a policing solution» to disperse the protesters.
Read also: Canadian unvaccinated lorry drivers stage loud protest in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to meet the protesters and has called on them to go home. As around 250 protesters have stayed in downtown Ottawa throughout the week and the Canadian government has not signalled agreeing or discussing the demands of protesters, Trudeau has stated that sending in troops to clear protesters from the nation’s capital to disperse them is «not in the cards right now».
Reportedly, the Canadian government announced in the vaccine mandate on January 15 that would require unvaccinated Canadian truckers crossing the two nations’ border to quarantine once they return home. Neighbouring US has also recently stated that foreign truck drivers must show proof of vaccination to enter the country.
Although around 90% of Canada’s 120,000 cross-border truckers are now vaccinated, similarly to the country’s adult population, the measures have angered many Canadians.
Canada not planning to deploy military against protesting antivaxxer lorry drivers
