Prime Minister Justin Trudeau harshly condemned the speech of truckers preparing to storm Parliament Hill on Saturday in Ottawa.
Posted at 6:49 p.m.
“The comments made by some of the people associated with this convoy are unacceptable and are unacceptable to the vast majority of Canadians,” he said at a press conference Wednesday in Ottawa.
Justin Trudeau recalled that truckers have known since last November that they will have to be vaccinated to cross the border, failing which they will have to submit to a quarantine on entry, and that the overwhelming majority have complied with this obligation. “It’s been months since we predicted that it was going to happen like this and I can point out that 90% of truckers in Canada have been vaccinated. »
He called the protesters “a small minority of people who speak neither for truckers nor for other Canadians, who continue to slow our way out of this pandemic.”
Attack on Conservatives
He did not fail to castigate in passing the conservatives who raise the specter of shortages of goods because of this vaccination obligation imposed on truckers.
“I saw that a Tory MP even tweeted a picture of (bare) grocery shelves in the UK and tried to make it look like it was in Canada. This is the kind of misinformation that, unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to with the Conservative Party, even during a major health and economic crisis like this,” said the Prime Minister.
According to him, “the challenges and disruptions to the global supply chain right now are due to COVID-19 and the best way to prevent further disruptions to our supply chains is to make sure people don’t fall not sick, making sure people are vaccinated. »
Ottawa police prepare
Meanwhile, in the capital, Ottawa police say they are in contact with truck convoy organizers to learn their plans for weekend protests in the capital and prepare for any eventuality, including violent outbursts.
Ottawa Police Director Peter Sloly told the Police Services Board on Wednesday that he was working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and intelligence agencies to prepare for these protests against the mandatory vaccination of cross-border truckers.
Several days of demonstrations?
Sloly said convoy organizers cooperated in briefing police on their protests in Ottawa which he said could last several days. He also admitted that the situation was changing rapidly.
Deputy Chief Steve Bell also said Ottawa police are “tracking parallel groups” preparing to join the truckers, as well as counter-protesters. Ottawa Police are also monitoring social media.
Police in the capital estimate there could be up to 2,000 protesters at the weekend, but that number is changing rapidly. She warns Ottawa residents that getting around downtown could be difficult during these protests.
Director Sloly reiterated that police support the right to peaceful protest, but warned that officers will be prepared to move protesters if the situation turns violent or threatens public safety.