A convoy of truckers is making its way across Ontario to protest the current vaccine mandate for cross-border travel.
The truckers are protesting the vaccine mandate that came into effect on January 15.
It requires Canadian truck drivers crossing the border back into Canada to be fully vaccinated in order to avoid testing requirements and a two-week quarantine. However, unvaccinated American drivers will also be denied entry into the country. The United States also requires truckers who are crossing into the U.S. to be vaccinated.
According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), an estimated 12,000 Canadian truckers and thousands more from the U.S. will be unable to work cross-border shipping routes due to the vaccine mandate.
While this protest has gained a lot of attention, the CTA said it does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges.
"[The] CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreement with government policies should be expressed," read a statement on the CTA website. "Members of the trucking industry who want to publicly express displeasure over government policies can choose to hold an organized, lawful event on Parliament Hill and not disrupt the travelling public."
Truck drivers are expected to drive through Chatham-Kent on January 27 around 6 a.m. as they make their way to Ottawa. A post on social media suggests Chatham-Kent residents will "flood the overpasses and roadways" in support of the truck drivers.
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