On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the ongoing anti-vaccine protests by the ‘Freedom Convoy’ that have gripped the nation’s capital, Ottawa, since Saturday. At the same time, Trudeau also announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and added that he “feels fine” and is currently not displaying any symptoms.
Speaking to reporters from a quarantine site, Trudeau asserted that the protesters gathered in Ottawa in front of the Parliament do not represent the sentiments of most Canadians, after images and videos surfaced over the weekend that showed protesters carrying Nazi flags, harassing a homeless person and desecrating national monuments — particularly people dancing over The Tomb of an Unknown Solider. Trudeau said Canadians are “shocked” and “disgusted” at the behaviour of the protesters. He emphasised that Canadians are not “intimidated” by the protesters as he continued to call them out for displaying “racist flags” and disrespecting the memory of veterans. Moreover, Trudeau urged members of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ to speak out against such deplorable behaviour saying, “Do not stand for, or with, intolerance and hate.”
This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine – and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 31, 2022
After testing positive for COVID-19, Trudeau confirmed that he will continue working remotely within the preview of the current public health guidelines. “It’s a big challenge that my family and I are facing but there's nothing unusual or special about it. It’s a challenge too many Canadians and people around the world know all too well,” he said. Trudeau has been in isolation since one of his children tested positive last week, a second Trudeau child has tested positive recently. He urged all Canadians to avail the vaccine and booster dose as the highly transmissible Omicron variant has ushered an increase in cases all over the country. Canada has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world with four out of every five Canadians having received both doses of the vaccines, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Over the weekend, a group of truckers organised under the name ‘Freedom Convoy’ by Tamara Lich — the founder of a right-of-centre group Maverick Party — gathered in the capital city of Ottawa to oppose the Trudeau administration’s COVID-19 policy, particularly a 15 January vaccine mandate on cross-border drivers. Thousands of protesters gathered in the capital, holding various signs expressing their opposition towards vaccines, masking requirements and lockdowns. The group has generated $8 million in donations on the GoFundMe site that will be used to prolong the protest.
Opposition leaders in Canada welcomed the protesters, with some serving them coffee. Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole even met the convoy. During Monday’s Parliament session O’Toole asked, “When is life getting back to normal?” saying the convoy represents the grievances of millions of Canadians. Trudeau slammed O’Toole for not acting responsibly while calling out Conservative party politicians for spreading vaccine misinformation online. Reports suggest that O’Toole might be on his way out of the Conservative party as early as Wednesday.