Truckers protesting the Canadian government’s Wuhan coronavirus vaccine mandate are converging on Ottawa as a fundraiser for the convoy has raised over four million dollars online.
Around 57,000 people have donated to a GoFundMe page for the convoy as of Monday and have so far raised over 4.3 million Canadian dollars (£2.5 million/$3.4 million USD), as truckers from across the country have promised to protest in the country’s capital on January 29th.
According to the GoFundMe page, the money is being raised to support truckers with the costs of their journey, such as food shelter and fuel. Some are said to be travelling from as far as British Columbia, a journey of several days of constant driving.
Over the weekend, broadcaster CBC reported that hundreds of truckers had set off from British Columbia as part of the “Freedom Rally” convoy to protest the vaccine mandate, which was enacted on all travel from the United States to Canada on January 15th and affects as many as 26,000 truckers.
Canadian truckers looking to enter the USA will also have to present proof of their vaccination, a measure that was implemented on January 22nd.
The protest comes as Canada faces severe supply chain issues across the country, with shortages in some shops being blamed on staffing shortages due to those off work infected with the Wuhan coronavirus.
Prices at supermarkets and grocers have also risen and some experts warn they could rise even further due to supply chain issues.
Conservative Alberta Premier Jason Kenney spoke out about shortages in supermarkets on Monday, posting pictures of bare shelves and saying, “This is turning into a crisis. It requires immediate action by the Canadian & US governments.”
“I am on the phone with US Governors this morning who share my concerns. We are working on a joint letter to the President and the Prime Minister urging them to use common sense, end the policy that has taken thousands of trucks off the road,” he added.
On Sunday, Kenney expressed his criticism for the vaccine mandate for truckers saying, “Nobody wants to see empty shelves and higher prices. We need some common sense here. Ottawa should drop the vax mandate for truckers now.”
Others, such as the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), have slammed the protests against the vaccine mandates.
In a press release, the CTA stated, “The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways and bridges. CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreement with government policies should be expressed.”
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com