Last Saturday, January 23, 2022, Canadian truckers staged a protest across Canada. The action was spurred by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal governments implementation of a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border earlier this month.

Truckers from all over the country joined the protests. In Ottawa, Canada, a little more than two thousand truckers chanted slogans and carried signs with anti-vaccine messages on them.

Called as “Freedom Convoy”,  the protesters started at noon on Saturday with truckers lining in Parliament Hill.

Canadian Trucking Alliance’s Statement

While the CTA has issued a statement that they do not support the movement, president Stephen Laskowski said, “The Government of Canada and the United States have now made being vaccinated a requirement to cross the border. This regulation is not changing so, as an industry, we must adapt and comply with this mandate. The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated.”

The organization also confirmed that most of its drivers are vaccinated. According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, 80% to 90% of the 120,000 Canadian truckers who travel cross-border routes are vaccinated, and many of the protesters in Ottawa appear to have no ties to the sector.

“Vaccinations are one of the strongest tools we have in the fight against COVID-19 and in keeping Canadians safe and healthy. Through these requirements, we help add an extra layer of protection in federally regulated workplaces. I encourage Canadians who have not yet received a vaccine to book their shot today.”

– Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos

Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Transportation, also recently tweeted, 

“We need the Coutts border crossing to reopen. I’m hearing between 50-100 Alberta truckers have been stranded on the US side since Saturday. Some haven’t eaten, others have medical issues. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully, but our supply chain and the livelihoods of those trying to cross the border should not suffer because of that.”

Although the Freedom Convoy gained a lot of criticisms, it also gathered many supporters including famous personalities like Joe Rogan (podcast host) and Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla Motors). 

New Vaccine Mandates for Truckers

In early 2022, the US and Canada introduced a policy that required the trucking workforce to be vaccinated against Covid-19 especially for crossing borders. Truckers are now required to be vaccinated or they would risk not being allowed entry into the US or Canada.

With these recent rules implemented, freight rates and consumer costs will most certainly be heading up. These mandates will keep inflation moving in the wrong direction.