On Monday, January 31, 2022, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but said he was feeling well and had no symptoms.
Trudeau, who has campaigned for vaccination and was vaccinated in front of cameras last year, was placed in isolation last week when one of his children tested positive. He announced that he would work remotely from an undisclosed location.
Since Friday, January 28, 2022, hundreds of trucks and other vehicles have clogged central Ottawa, and thousands have assembled on Parliament Hill to protest against Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The majority of protesters have been peaceful, according to police, although neighboring residents have complained about the constant blaring of truck horns.
According to a shelter’s Twitter account, some protestors forced the homeless shelter to feed them, while others waved Nazi flags.
In a series of tweets on Monday, Justin Trudeau stated that Canadians were disgusted.
“I know this pandemic is frustrating. It’s frustrating that, after two years, we’re not done fighting COVID-19. But over the past few days, Canadians have been shocked and disgusted by the behavior displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital,” he said.
“I want to be very clear: We’re not intimidated by those who hurl abuse at small business workers and steal food from the homeless. We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. And we won’t cave in to those who engage in vandalism or dishonor the memory of our veterans,” he concluded.
Ottawa’s mayor, Jim Watson, criticized the more extreme behavior, saying, “My message to the truckers is you’ve had your protest, you’ve had your rally, time to go back home.”
On the other hand, senior members of the official opposition Conservative Party, which lost its third election in a row to Trudeau’s Liberals last year, have applauded the protesters.