Canada’s Ontario declares state of emergency amid truckers’ vaccine protests

The Canadian province of Ontario has declared a state of emergency as truck drivers continue their protests against the government’s COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

In a press briefing on Friday, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford announced the new arrangement saying, “I will convene cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people, and service along critical infrastructure.”

Ford threatened the protesters with legal measures, including fines and potential jail time for rejecting the government’s rules.

The development comes after police in Canada’s capital warned truck-led protesters that they could face criminal charges and their trucks could be seized if they continued their “unlawful” clogging of downtown streets.

Protests erupted two weeks ago when the so-called freedom convoy of truckers roared into the streets of Ottawa, objecting to a rule that requires them to be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border.

Hitherto, three critical border crossings with the United States have been blocked, impacting businesses, including car-makers in both countries.

The trucker movement has caused a political rift between the ruling Liberal Party and the opposition conservatives, with each side blaming the other for the chaos.

The conservative lawmakers have accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of fueling discontent amid the pandemic and failing to give Canadians a timeline for when life may return to normal.

“We are at a crisis point, not just outside the doors and across the country, but the country overall,” said Candice Bergen, the interim leader of conservatives at the parliament, adding that, “so much of it is because of the things he’s said and done,” referring to Trudeau.

MG