Trudeau invokes emergency measures and vows to freeze bank accounts: photos of the crisis

Prime Minister of Canada, Trudeau has vowed to freeze the bank accounts of anyone still protesting or even linked to the protests. This can be legally done by the banks without any need for court order.

Trudeau has invoked the the Emergencies Act (never before used), which he declares will not be enforced with military action. He also said the police would be given "more tools" to do their job of fining or even imprisoning protesters.

The 1988 Emergencies Act can only be invoked should the country be in an "urgent and critical situation" that "seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians". Lawful protests do not qualify.

Despite a number of people both agreeing and disagreeing to Trudeau's decision, the PM took to Twitter to defend the use of the emergencies act.

Nevertheless, the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Trudeau, is holding his ground. People were asking whether he was doing enough to calm the situation, and now people are asking if he has done too much and overstepped the line.

The situation in Canada has been spiralling out of control since it began on 22nd January. Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa said they were "in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced.”

Mayor Watson had previously declared a state of emergency after the protests spiralled out of control with truck horns blaring 16 hours a day, residents being harassed on the street and even an arson attempt in the lobby of an apartment building.

Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, had also declared a state of emergency for the entire province. He did step in to disband the protests and obtained a court order 'calling for protesters to disband from the Ambassador Bridge or face stiff fines or prison,' according to the NY Times. The numbers thinned out.

Daily life has been severely affected and even two of the world's biggest carmakers, Ford and Toyota, said plants had been forced to shut. “Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of thousands of workers to make a living,” Mr. Ford said of the protests.

National and local police forces cleared out protesters and then closed in sufficiently to make arrests, warning they would be charging those still protesting with criminal mischief.

Now, weeks after the start of the protest, the people involved are a mix of anti-vaccine protesters, evangelical Christians and even just local residents who are tired of COVID lockdown rules and restrictions. But it all began with 'The Freedom Convoy' - as it's been called - which was to protest against a mandate requiring truckers who cross the US-Canada border to be vaccinated against Covid.

The first convoy departed on January 22 from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, arriving in Prince George in the evening.

On January 24, another convoy drove through Regina, Saskatchewan and was greeted by supporters.

On January 25, a convoy passed through Kenora, Ontario and on January 26, the OPP estimated approximately 400 vehicles had entered Ontario from the Manitoba border.

The convoys consisted of three main routes across Canada, which converged for the Ottawa protest at the weekend. All in protest of an imposed two week quarantine in Vaughan, Ontario in Canada on arrival from the U.S.A.

People supporting the rally grouped over the Bass Pro Mills Dr. overpass, awaiting the trucks who were forming part of 'The Freedom Rally'. The convoy itself at this point was smaller than initially projected.

The Freedom Rally took a stop at Vaughan Mills Mall parking lot to pick up supplies and be greeted by hundreds of supporters.

The drivers were greeted with open arms at Vaughan Mills Mall. By this point, personal vehicles had also joined the convoy.

Truckers, along with other private vehicles and members of the public, banned together to protest in Ottawa against Canada’s vaccine mandate. And they showed they are very unhappy with the Prime Minister.

They have gone in protest against the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates required to cross the United States border. But many more joined with separate agendas.

More than two hours before the protest officially started, the streets of Ottawa’s city centre were filled with trucks. And the air was filled with the blaring, non-stop honking of air horns.

Saturday, 29th January 2022, saw thousands of protesters pile onto the grounds of Canada’s Parliament buildings, bringing gridlock to the city.

One man sitting in a semi truck near Parliament Hill, told Bloomberg News, “They forced me to get vaccinated, it wasn’t my choice,” he said. “My message is: let everybody choose what to do to his body.”

“We are prepared as best as we possibly can for those who chose to come here to do harm or cause others to do harm,” Ottawa police chief had Peter Sloly said before the protests kicked off, adding the demonstration would be “massive in scale”. He was right.

In support of the truckers vaccine mandate protest in Ottawa, many joined in the protest from their own homes. Some even spelling it out.

Photo: Satellite image (c) 2022 Maxar Technologies.

Trudeau and his family left the home where they live in downtown Ottawa due to security concerns, according to CBC News.

Trudeau announced a vaccine mandate for federal workers in October on the eve of the election last month. Both Canada and the U.S. imposed a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers.

It is no surprise that the demonstrators have received a lot of press - and praise. The protesting group were praised on prime time Fox News, Joe Rogan’s podcast and Elon Musk’s Twitter feed.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a major industry group, said it “strongly disapproved” of the gathering in Ottawa.

“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 and have a separate agenda beyond a disagreement over cross border vaccine requirements,” a statement by the Canadian Trucking Alliance said.

Canadian voters tend to be generally supportive of vaccine mandates. About two-thirds agree with the idea of mandatory vaccination for all who are eligible.

Up to now, the Canadian Prime Minister has shown no sign of backing down on the vaccine mandate. A recent Ipsos poll indicated that 46% of Canadians "may not agree with everything the people who have taken part in the truck protests in Ottawa have said, but their frustration is legitimate and worthy of our sympathy".