Addressing the “millions of Canadians who are making responsible choices to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Justin Trudeau said Monday his government was “not intimidated” by the protesters who have occupied Ottawa since Friday.
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He called on those who have joined the convoy, but who are “uncomfortable with the symbols of hatred and division” seen here and there this weekend to “join their fellow Canadians”, “be brave” and “take the speech”. “Do not place yourselves alongside intolerance and hatred,” he asked them.
“Everyone is grumbling, everyone is tired of this pandemic, everyone is exhausted, everyone wants it to end […], but the vast majority of Canadians know that it is not by grumbling that we will end this pandemic: it is by getting vaccinated, ”he said.
Justin Trudeau added that Canadians were “shocked and disgusted” by the attitude of the more irresponsible fringe of the demonstrators, taking as an example the objects placed on the statue of Terry Fox or the vehicles parked on the National War Memorial .
In a press briefing for the first time since the arrival of the first trucks on Friday, the Prime Minister has no intention of meeting the protesters to hear their grievances. Most of them are very hostile to him.
“In these difficult times, all politicians must demonstrate responsible leadership. We have to work to bring people together in a positive way. We must fight against division and fear with the facts,” said Mr. Trudeau, who received a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 in the morning.
- Listen to Philippe-Vincent Foisy and Antoine Robitaille at the microphone of Benoit Dutrizac on QUB radio:
Justin Trudeau took the opportunity to shoot arrows at his conservative counterpart Erin O’Toole, whose party openly came out in favor of the convoy of truckers, while dissociating itself from the most extremist elements.
“I think Erin O’Toole needs to think carefully about how he supports those people who don’t represent truckers, let alone the vast majority of Canadians,” he said.
Erin O’Toole opposed compulsory vaccination for truckers, but also in most sectors of society. He suggested “reasonable accommodations” for the unvaccinated, such as imposing rapid border tests, for example.
The Conservatives accuse the Liberals of using the vaccination obligation to “divide” the population and make political capital among vaccinated people, an accusation that the Liberals send back to them.
The protest continued on Monday, but the crowd was significantly thinner than Saturday, when Ottawa police estimated about 15,000 people had turned out.
Positive for COVID-19
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on his Twitter account Monday morning.
“I feel good, and I will continue to work remotely this week, in accordance with public health guidelines. Please go get vaccinated and get the booster dose,” he wrote.
Mr. Trudeau was in isolation in the last days when one of his children had caught the virus.
Monday also coincides with the return to parliament.
Given the chaotic situation on the Hill, in addition to the sanitary measures put in place in December due to the rise of the Omicron variant, most MPs have decided to work from home.
Some MPs, however, went there, such as Candice Bergen, the deputy leader of Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative Party.
It must be said that the House of Commons, temporarily moved into the West Block, is fenced off by a strong police presence.
Like the past three days, the protest was still peaceful Monday morning.