Hundreds of people lined Highway 97 in 100 Mile House Saturday morning in support of the Freedom Convoy to Ottawa.
A convoy of around 100 big rigs, trucks and cars passed through town at around noon, their drivers waving and honking their horns as the crowd cheered in support. Many of the vehicles were covered in Canadian flags and signs reading: End the Mandates and End All Mandates Now.
In the crowd, the peaceful protesters, who stretched along both sides of the highway in 100 Mile, also waved flags and carried signs with messages saying Support Our Truckers and Stop the Madness. Others called for an end to all vaccine mandates and for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign. The crowd ranged in age from children accompanying their parents to seniors.
The Freedom Convoy was started in response to a federal government mandate that all truck drivers and other essential workers who cross the border into Canada show proof of vaccination so quarantine requirements could be avoided. The move is reciprocal with the American government enforcing requirements into the U.S.
READ MORE: Hundreds rally in 100 Mile to support trucker convoy
Convoys from across Canada, including B.C., headed for Ottawa to protest the mandates. Canadian Press reported Saturday that crowds of trucks jammed Ottawa streets and crowds packed Parliament Hill on Saturday.
In a press release issued Saturday, the Canadian Trucking Alliance president said while a number of Canadians are in Ottawa to voice their displeasure over the vaccine mandate, it also appears that a great number of these protesters have no connection to the trucking industry.
“Over the last 24 months, CTA has and will continue to work with the Government of Canada to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain,” the statement continued. “This includes several health and safety measures like raising vaccine rates in our sector. CTA will continue this work to benefit our sector and, by extension, the Canadian economy. This work will begin again this Monday when the Government of Canada hosts the National Supply Chain Summit.”
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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