Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Tuesday night that the protesters who descended on Ottawa to demonstrate against COVID-19 vaccine mandates are guilty of various sorts of bigotry.
"Today in the House, Members of Parliament unanimously condemned the antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia that we’ve seen on display in Ottawa over the past number of days. Together, let’s keep working to make Canada more inclusive," Trudeau tweeted.
Trudeau, who has refused to meet with organizers of the "Freedom Convoy," accused the tens of thousands of truckers who converged on the Canadian capital over the weekend of being a "small fringe minority" who hold "unacceptable views."
On Monday, he accused them of engaging in what he described as "hateful rhetoric."
Multiple Canadian groups are coordinating efforts to deliver fuel, food, and other resources to the "Freedom Convoy" of truckers lined around the nation’s capital this week, blocking traffic around Parliament Hill to protest the federal government’s vaccine mandate.
The effort, led by the People’s Party of Canada, Take Action Canada, and Taking Back Our Freedoms, among others, comes as the region is expected to get hit with snow and more sub-freezing temperatures this week. —Bradford Betz
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Farmers have reportedly joined a blockade of Canadian truckers Tuesday in a tense standoff with Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on the U.S.-Canada border near Coutts, Alberta.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta declared the event "unlawful," according to the BBC. They said "extensive efforts" to negotiate with the protesters had failed and they had tapped "additional resources" to make arrests, including tow trucks if necessary.
"While we thought we had a path to resolve this, the protesters chose not to comply," the RCMP said in a statement.
Several tow truck companies in southern Alberta that spoke to the Western Standard said they would not be responding to requests from the RCMP to tow away members of the blockade.
“A lot of these smaller companies don’t want to ruin their reputation in the communities they serve so they don’t want to get involved,” one tow truck company worker said.
{{#rendered}}Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told Fox News Digital the "Freedom Convoy" had legitimate concerns, but they should express them respectfully.
"People do have a right to peaceful protest, I just always encourage them to do it in a way that’s respectful, make their point, and certainly not to dishonor our war dead in the process," Kenney said.
Kenney said he believed the protesters had a legitimate concern, and he agreed with those who oppose "unnecessary quarantine requirement[s] for cross-border truckers."
"But obviously there are some folks involved with some symbols of hatred, some people outrageously dishonored the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in our National War Memorial, and that’s just outrageous," Kenney added. —Kelsey Koberg
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Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced Tuesday that his government is scrapping its controversial plan to financially penalize residents of the province who remain unvaccinated for nonmedical reasons.
On Jan. 11, Legault promised a "significant" fine for Quebecers who held out on getting vaccinated against COVID-19, but the premier backed down as thousands of protesters remain in the Canadian capital to protest government vaccine mandates.
"My role is to try to bring Quebecers together to stay united. This is why we won't go ahead with the health contribution," he told reporters. "I understand that this divides Quebecers and right now we need to build bridges."
A small but still significant number of protesters lingered Tuesday on the streets of Ottawa, saying they won’t leave until all vaccine mandates and other restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who condemned protesters Monday for engaging in what he described as "hateful rhetoric."
Trudeau also slammed the convoy last week as being composed of a "small fringe minority" of people who hold "unacceptable views." Tens of thousands of truckers converged on the Canadian capital over the weekend to express their disapproval of strict government vaccine mandates.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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