Crowdfunding site GoFundMe said it froze some $4.5 million raised by the convoy of truckers traveling across the country to Ottawa to protest mandatory vaccinations.
“We require people raising money to be transparent about funds and have a clear plan for how they will be spent. In this case, we are in communication with the organizer to verify this information, ”explained in an email Rachel Hollis, spokesperson for the collaborative funding platform.
“Funds will be held securely until the organizer is able to provide documentation to our team on how they will be distributed. »
As of Tuesday afternoon, those funds had been raised from 58,300 donors, according to the Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe page.
Tamara Lich, who is also secretary of the Western Canadian separatist party Maverick, launched the campaign on January 14. She says the money will be used to pay for fuel as well as food and accommodation for participating drivers.
“Our current government is implementing rules and obligations that are destroying the foundations of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” the convoy’s GoFundMe page reads.
“We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations around the world from tyrannical governments that have oppressed their people, and now it looks like it is happening here. »
Since January 15, the federal government has required Canadian truckers to be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a 14-day quarantine when crossing the border from the United States.
Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan also announced that vaccination would become mandatory for all workers in federally regulated industries, although no timetable has been set.
Disrupted supply?
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, which has condemned the protest, estimates that more than 85% of the 120,000 Canadian truckers who regularly cross the border are vaccinated, but that about 16,000 of them could be sidelined in due to the new restriction, which exacerbates supply chain issues.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the federal government and alliance chairman Stephen Laskowski acknowledged the “unprecedented challenges” of a sector that ships the vast majority of food and consumer products, but stressed that the vaccination was the path to economic health.
“Vaccines, medicine, personal protective equipment, food and supplies continue to arrive safely through the efforts of our dedicated commercial truck drivers,” said Messrs. Laskowski and O’Regan, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.
“The Government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance agree that vaccination, along with preventive public health measures, is the most effective tool to reduce the risk posed to Canadians by COVID-19 and to protect public health. »
Kenney chats with “American governors”
Heavy-duty truck drivers are heading for a protest scheduled for Saturday in Ottawa, where truckers from across the country plan to converge.
Last Saturday, the United States banned unvaccinated Canadian drivers from entering its country, mirroring Canada’s border filter for American truckers.
In a Twitter post Monday showing photos of bare grocery shelves, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he was “on the phone with American governors” that morning, who shared his concerns. He added that he was working on a joint letter to US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end vaccination requirements.
I am on the phone with US Governors this morning who share my concerns.
We are working on a joint letter to the President and the Prime Minister urging them to use common sense, end the the policy that has taken thousands of trucks off the road.
—Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 24, 2022
Reese Evans, general manager of Evans Trucking, said 14 of his 36 drivers, who typically haul lumber across the Alberta-Montana border, were unvaccinated — and essentially out of work since joining. new rules come into effect. His company donated $5,000 to the convoy’s GoFundMe campaign.
“When are they going to stop to realize that we have to stop playing with people’s livelihoods? he wondered.
Trade associations have condemned protests on roads and highways, but Evans said protests planned near border crossings across the country this weekend will be safe and legal.