As Ottawa entered a third day of a truckers’ protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the disturbing behaviour of some of the protesters over the weekend in Ottawa.
“There is no place in our country for threats, violence, or hatred. Those responsible for this behavior, it needs to stop,” he said.
“Canadians were shocked and, frankly, disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in out nation’s capital.”
Protesters gathered on Parliament Hill for what was called a Freedom Convoy. It was responding to Ottawa’s requiring all Canadian truck drivers to be fully vaccinated if they are going to the U.S.
Trudeau said the behaviour that was displayed this past weekend does not represent Canada.
“This is not the story of our pandemic, of our country, of our people. Canada is strong because you are strong,” Trudeau said.
“Canadians are compassionate, kind, strong and resilient.”
Trudeau also said that 90 per cent of truck drivers are doing their part by being vaccinated. He acknowledged truckers have been working long, hard hours to provide food and supplies across Canada for the past two years.
“Truckers have tough jobs. Long hours on the road, days away from their families,” he said
“They’ve continued to step up to put food on our shelves and on our tables to support us with lifesaving medication and supplies.”
The Canadian Trucker Alliance president Stephen Laskowski issued a statement this past weekend related to the Ottawa protests.
“While a number of Canadians are in Ottawa to voice their displeasure over this mandate, it also appears that a great number of these protesters have no connection to the trucking industry,” he said
He also said that the protesters have a separate agenda that goes beyond a disagreement over the cross-border vaccine requirements.
Trudeau said the right to free expression and the right to make your frustration known is important, but said there is a peacefully way of doing so.
“There’s always a right to protest peacefully that I and others will defend fully as part of this democracy. There is not a right to incite violence, to perform acts of violence, or to spew hatred,”
“I think anyone who is part of this group, who is disgusted by what the folks protesting alongside are doing, needs to step up and take responsibility.”
The PM called on people to”condemn these actions and look for other ways to express their displeasure.”