Truckers in Canada Threatened With Jail and Massive Fines

Truckers in Canada have been told by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all options were now “on the table” for ending the Freedom Convoy trucker-led protests. The trucker protests have paralyzed Ottawa and closed border crossings with the United States.

Trudeau has stressed calling in the military was a distant final resort.

Trudeau signalled that patience was running out in the face of increasing US pressure to crack down on protests over Covid rules. These rules have triggered a state of emergency in Ontario province and copycat protests overseas, including in France and New Zealand.

“Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity must stop and will stop,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference.

There have been hundreds of big rigs clogging the Canadian capital for two weeks. This is as the snowballing movement has morphed into a broader protest against Trudeau’s government and pandemic mandates.

To reporters, Trudeau stressed that deploying the military would be a last resort and that militarizing civilian populations should be avoided at any cost.

“It is the responsibility of the police to enforce the law and maintain public order,” Trudeau said, without venturing into details.

In the days since the blockade began, automakers on both sides of the border have been forced to curtail production.

In his call with Trudeau, Biden said the movement was impacting companies and workers with “slowdowns in production, shortened work hours, and plant closures.”

Trudeau orders state of Emergency

Last month, Canada’s self-described truckers “Freedom Convoy” crossed the border into the US from Canada in protest at requirements that truckers be vaccinated or tested and isolated upon crossing the border.

In Ontario, the epicentre of the protests, the premier declared a state of emergency on Friday.

Premier Doug Ford warned protesters that steep fines of up to Can$100,000 ($80,000) and jail time would be imposed if they failed to end their “illegal occupation.”

To the people of Ottawa, Ford said, “I assure you that we will do our best to ensure you’re able to get back to normal as soon as possible.” Ford, like Trudeau, has been criticized for inaction over the protests.

He also acknowledged that “pleasing protests” are a right and that “frustration has reached a boiling point for many Canadians.”

He warned, however: “This is no longer a protest.”

During Ford’s remarks, he said the truckers “were attempting to force a political agenda by disrupting, intimidating, and creating chaos” at the borders.
Earlier this week, Ford’s government secured a court order barring anyone from accessing the millions of dollars raised by the convoy through the Fundraising platform GiveSendGo.

As a result of GoFundMe terminating their original campaign for violating their terms of service, the protesters switched to this platform for fundraising.

According to Trudeau, “Canadian banks monitor financial activity very closely and take necessary action.”

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