The truckers and their freedom convoys: will they affect the food supply to Malta?
Blog post by Marica Micallef
In Canada, a convoy of 50,000 trucks, known as the “freedom convoy” has blocked all traffic in the capital Ottawa. This movement was started by cross-border truckers whereby they are protesting against the Covid-19 vaccine mandates. The convoy has already made a 2000 mile journey from British Columbia to the Canadian capital, Ottawa.
The convoy arrived in Ottawa on Friday 28th January ahead of a planned protest vaccine mandates for drivers.
“Since January 15, all Canadian truck drivers who are unvaccinated must take a COVID-19 test and quarantine when driving back from the United States. They are not allowed into the U.S. unless they are vaccinated, and American drivers are not allowed into Canada unless they show their certificate. But American drivers returning to the U.S., do not need to take a test and quarantine.” [1]
The truckers, who were cheered along the route by crowds of Canadians,[2] were joined by thousands of people and all head towards parliament, and some have vowed to stay there until Trudeau rescinds the vaccine mandate,[3] thus making the capital becoming gridlocked with anti-mandate protestors. According to the Toronto Sun, these “‘Freedom’ truckers may have formed the world’s longest convoy.[4]
In the meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to hide and self-isolate at home with the excuse that he caught Covid and that he won’t be able to be in Parliament on Monday[5]
This freedom convoy may evolve into a general strike against Trudeau in all sectors of society and it has also raised over 3.3 million Canadian dollars on GoFundMe[6] which has frozen $160,000 until organisers of Convoy to Canberra protests detail spending plan.[7]
Footage of this convoy can be watched here:
This Canadian freedom convoy has created a chain reaction and now we have a European convoy, with European truckers preparing an operation identical to that of Canadian truckers. These European truckers are also opposing the health restrictions and are planning to go to Brussels on February 7, 2022.[8]
We also have a Netherlands Convoy where the EU is “on the verge of more haulage woes as Dutch lorry drivers appeared to join in their Canadian cousins in their “freedom convoy” protest against mandatory Covid vaccines.”[9]
Also, “Australian drivers have taken inspiration from a ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada to drive to Canberra and protest against vaccine mandates – but Victoria’s Premier has warned booster shots will soon be mandatory. Protesters from all around the country arrived in the nation’s capital on Monday as part of the ‘Convoy to Canberra’ demonstration.”[10]
Trump praised the convoy participants for “doing more to defend American freedom than our own leaders by far,“”[11] and Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre says that they do not support Trudeau’s vaccine vendetta on their truckers: “This policy is going to drive truckers out of the country or out of business and it is going to drive costs up for Canadian consumers. If you walk into a grocery store and you see products on the shelves, thank a trucker. If you walk into a grocery store and you see empty shelves, thank Justin Trudeau. His policy of vaccine vendetta against our hard-working truckers is going to drive up the cost for our people, drive people out of work and leave us with empty shelves. We think the best way to get people vaccinated is through persuasion, not intimidation.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je5S5bVd3xc) and (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKQJSxyFAw)
If we filter through the sieve further, can we say that these truckers are unknowingly behaving exactly like what had been predicted in one of the episodes of The Simpsons?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgrsSQNWYd8
Will these convoys affect the supply of food to Malta? Is the supply of food to our country at a risk? How will our government react if these protests by the truckers reach us? Who will deliver the food to Malta? Let’s hope that governments do not point their fingers at the people, in this scripted circus!
[1] https://theworldnews.net/uk-news/canada-s-freedom-convoy-of-up-to-50-000-truckers-arrives-in-ottawa-ahead-of-a-weekend-of-protests
[2] https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/crowd-toronto-cheers-anti-vaccine-trucker-convoy-82518160
[3] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10454333/Canadas-Freedom-Convoy-50-000-truckers-arrives-Ottawa-ahead-weekend-protests.html
[4] https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-freedom-truckers-may-form-worlds-longest-convoy
[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-prime-minister-trudeau-says-he-has-tested-positive-covid-19-2022-01-31/
[6] Fundraiser by Tamara Lich : Freedom Convoy 2022 (gofundme.com)
[7] https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-01-31/gofundme-freezes-canberra-covid-truck-convoy-money/100792930
[8] https://frenchdailynews.com/economy/4070-the-freedom-convoy-is-being-prepared-in-europe
[9] https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1558130/EU-news-protest-Dutch-lorry-drivers-trucker-protest-Canada-Covid-vaccine-mandate-vn
[10] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10458149/Covid-19-Australia-Convoy-Canberra-arrives-protest-vaccine-mandate-cars-crash.html
[11] https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/donald-trump-voices-support-for-truckers-convoy-protest-in-ottawa-1.5760331
Who cares about other countries we care about Malta full stop.