A 70-kilometre convoy of trucks from across Canada arrived in Ottawa over the weekend, bringing thousands of protestors to Parliament Hill.

The “Freedom Convoy” began pouring into the country’s capital on Friday with the intention to gridlock the downtown core in a demonstration opposing vaccine mandates. According to the organization’s website, the majority of vehicles arrived at Parliament Hill around noon on Saturday.

A GoFundMe was started on Jan. 14 to raise funds for the drivers’ fuel expenses, with a goal of raising nine-million dollars. So far, the page has raised over $8.7 million dollars, from over 108,000 donors.

The movement began stirring in November when the federal government announced new restrictions, warranting truckers crossing the Canada-US border to be fully vaccinated or face a 14-day quarantine.

Trucks shut down several major streets in the downtown core on Saturday, according to Ottawa Police. Photo by Meara Belanger.

Jason LaFace, who is the main organizer for the Ontario convoy, told the media last week that, “it's not just about mandates anymore.”

“It's about everything that the government has done to people,” says LaFace.

In fact, the convoy’s main organizers have been accused of using the movement as a way to promote “fringe” or “extremist” points-of-view.

LaFace has been accused of making racist remarks against the Black community, as well as an association with white-supremicist group Soldiers of Odin.

The convoy’s Alberta organizer, Pat King, has also been linked to the Soldiers of Odin, and has been accused of racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic behaviour. Several of the convoy’s sponsors, such as local publication The Capital Voice and organization Canada Unity, have also been linked to far-right movements.

James Bauder, president of Canada Unity and the main organizer of the Freedom Convoy, has been pitching the idea for a “coast-to-coast Canada Unity drive” since as early as 2019.

“We vision our Unity Drive sweeping across Canada and all over the world as we deliver from one town to another a message of hope,” says Bauder. “We want to arrive in Ottawa, parliament building[s] and tell Trudeau that diversity is not what this country is all about.”

The organization has publicly condemned acts of racism via their Instagram after a flurry of media coverage brought them under fire. 

Prior to the arrival of the truckers, the Ottawa Police and the City of Ottawa issued statements warning residents to avoid the downtown core. According to Ottawa Police, the situation warranted the assistance of the RCMP, as well as police forces from Durham, York, and Toronto.

Many protestors brandished signs with messages directly targeting Prime Minister Trudeau. Photo by Meara Belanger.

In a statement to the media on Friday, Chief Peter Sloly told residents that this event would be, “unique, fluid, risky, and significant.”

“Public safety is paramount in all such demonstrations and will be in this demonstration,” says Sloly.

The police issued follow-up statements throughout the weekend. As of Sunday afternoon, there have been no arrests or injuries reported in relation to the demonstrations. 

Ottawa Police are continuing to warn residents to avoid downtown, calling it a “high-risk situation.” 

The Ottawa Police have also said they will continue to update the public, and they will release more information concerning the number of demonstrators “at the end of the demonstrations.”

Freedom Convoy organizers have said they plan on blockading Ottawa until “all mandates” have been lifted.

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