On a quiet, sunny afternoon, Scorch barged into the Mystical dorm room. She was nearly breathless with excitement. She had a pressing question for Verum. Scorch said, “Verum, I heard something about truck drivers protesting in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, a country in North America. What is that about?”
“Hmm, let me check,” said Verum peering into her trusty crystal ball, “Oh, yes. I get it now.”
“Get what?” pressed Scorch.
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government put a mandate into place on 15th January 2022. A mandate is an official order to do something,” said Verum, “In this case, the mandate is for Canadian truckers who haven’t taken Covid-19 vaccines. When they cross the United States-Canada border, they will have to quarantine once they return home.
Generally, Canadians are pro-vaccination. That’s why 80% of the eligible population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. Even so, a convoy (group) of truckers started a march from Vancouver, a major city in western Canada, to protest the mandatory vaccination. It was called ‘Freedom Convoy 2022’.
It traveled across the country and landed in Ottawa in eastern Canada. On the way, many more demonstrators joined them. The convoy planned on protesting peacefully in front of the Parliament building in Ottawa. But there were reports of truckers desecrating monuments. To desecrate is to spoil or destroy something respected or holy.
For four days, the truckers created chaos in the capital city. But their numbers thinned out eventually.”
“Okay, that’s a lot of events,” said Scorch, rubbing her chin, “I have a query. Aren’t the truckers among the 80% vaccinated population?”
“Good catch,” said Verum, “According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, about 80%-90% of the cross-border truck drivers are vaccinated. Despite this, the mandate will put about 16,000 drivers off this route. This will impact the supply of important goods to Canadian stores.
Some members of the convoy have decided to stay put in Ottawa until their demands are met. But Prime Minister Trudeau has refused to meet them.”
“It’s a tricky situation,” said Scorch.
