Ontario Premier Doug Ford commented in Ottawa on Tuesday on the ongoing truck convoy protest, saying “people need to move on.”
“You know, I hear you. I hear the protesters. The province hears the protesters. The country hears the protesters, “Ford told a news conference in Ajax, Ont.
“Now is the time to get the people of Ottawa back on track. These businesses that have been closed for a while now – the restaurants want to reopen.
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Crowds thinned out significantly on Parliament Hill and the surrounding area, where protesters against COVID restrictions had been protesting for days.
But those who remain say they will stay until all restrictions are lifted, with the president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association saying some protesters have extended their stay at hotels, or asking to re-book for the coming weekend.
The disruption caused by the protest caused some businesses in Ottawa to close indefinitely, just as the provincial government eased COVID restrictions Monday so several facilities could be reopened, including gyms and indoor eateries at restaurants and pubs.
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“People have to move on. “Let the people of Ottawa live, let the businesses open,” Ford said.
The prime minister again condemned the presence of Nazi and Confederate symbols at the weekend rally and the desecration of the National War Memorial.
The protest of the truck convoy initially started as a protest against the vaccination mandate for cross-border truck drivers to avoid quarantine, but turned into a protest against COVID-related restrictions and mandates as a whole.
Both Canada and the United States now have a vaccine mandate in place for cross-border truck drivers.
A reporter also asked the prime minister if he supported the mandate.
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“People may disagree one way or another, but I’m going to support getting vaccinated and that’s no shot at the truck drivers,” Ford said.
“I think the world of truck drivers. I have supported and appreciated them from day one and am very grateful for everything they did during this pandemic and still do. ”
He noted that the vast majority of truck drivers have been vaccinated.
– With files from The Canadian Press
A person uses an ax to chop firewood for a campfire in Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill as a rally against COVID-19 restrictions, which began as a nationwide convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truck drivers, goes on Monday continued in Ottawa, January 31, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS / Justin Tang
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