Major trucker protests in Canada targeting vaccine mandates.

 

Stock photo of a truck. The Hill/iStock.

A major trucker protest is being organized in Canada targeting trucker vaccine mandates. The Hill. A GoFundMe for the project has raised more than $2 million for food, fuel and lodging. The truckers say that the vaccine mandate will lead to higher inflation and shortages. Both Canada and America have put into place a vaccine mandate for drivers that cross the border. The protesters will be heading to Ottowa and are expected to reach there on January 29th. 

Driver says there are supporters cheering on the freedom truck convoy on nearly every overpass between Vancouver and Chilliwack in British Columbia.

The convoy is making its way across the country to Ottawa for next weekends protest against mandates.https://t.co/oH67s3uRAB pic.twitter.com/5dkvDaPvl9

— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) January 23, 2022

 

Freedom Convoy Telegram 2022 - THE OFFICIAL Freedom Canada;2022 freedom Convoy Location updates; GTA (Vaughan Mills) Convoy to Ottawa
Truck Drivers are the blood line of Canada giving hope to every Canadian HOLD THE LINE in Ottawa No Retreat No Surrender - we are behind you 100% pic.twitter.com/iancG7mkAZ

— Corrado Brancato (@CorradoPpc) January 24, 2022

My Comment:

It is unclear how big this protest is but from the social media posts I have seen it seems to be sizeable. Thousands of truck drivers and other supporters are heading to Ottawa to protest these vaccine mandates. It's one of the largest protests I have seen against Coronavirus restrictions, and unlike other protests I think it has a good chance of succeeding. 

Truckers have a huge amount of leverage that other people simply do not have. Without truckers the country grinds to a halt as needed fuel, food and goods simply can't move without them. There isn't an alternative as other forms of transportation are at capacity and are also reliant on trucking. If truckers all decided to quit than the country probably wouldn't last a week.

And that is during normal times. These are not normal times. Canada is already seeing shortages of food and supplies due to the vaccine mandates and the general logistical nightmare that all countries are facing now. Having tens of thousands of truckers deciding to protest will cause these problems to get much worse. Not to mention that there is already a world wide trucker shortage. It's not like these people can be easily replaced. 

This will put a huge amount of pressure on Justin Trudeau and Canada's government. If there is one thing that destabilizes a country it's a lack of food, fuel and goods. And that is going to happen now no matter what Trudeau does. My guess is that he will have to back down, or face chaos that hasn't been seen in a western country in a long time. 

Of course, I have to point out that the vaccine mandate is utterly pointless. Not only is the pandemic all but over, but the vaccine doesn't do much to stop the Omicron variant in the first place. Plus it's idiotic to put it into place now since the border has been open to truckers for two years now. 

I work with truckers every day and I have to say that they are at extremely low risk of getting or spreading the virus. They tell me all the time how stupid our own restrictions are. They tell me that they hardly see anyone while doing their jobs, other than at the shipper and receiver. Treating them like they are all "Typhoid Mary's" is patently ridiculous. 

I do have to say that even if the truckers succeed they will still have problem that the restrictions are still in place in the United States. And Canadian truckers have almost no leverage on the United States. They would need some kind of similar movement in the United States to put pressure on Biden. I know if that did happen I would support it.