Hundreds of Maritimers gather along highways Thursday in support of the 'freedom convoy'
Hundreds of Maritimers lined highways, packed parking lots and showed their support on Thursday for the rally of truckers headed to Ottawa in protest of Canada-wide COVID-19 mandates.
Truck drivers from as far away as Newfoundland and Labrador converged in Enfield, N.S., early Thursday morning to receive a sendoff from hundreds who braved the cold.
"This is a country which today has come together in unity to stand for freedom. We are going to Ottawa to end the mandates and get our rights back so people can go to work again," said Martin Broadmann, president of Truckers United.
On Jan. 15, Canada began to require all travellers, including essential workers like truck drivers, to show proof of vaccination when crossing the border. The United States imposed a similar requirement on truckers crossing the northern border with Canada and the southern border with Mexico as of Jan. 22.
Many truckers have since expressed their anger with the federal government's mandate.
"I don't think it reflects what Canada is about, to be honest," said Jean-Marc Picard, the executive director of Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, about the protest.
Truck drivers from across Canada and their supporters are expected to arrive in Ottawa over the coming days as part of the rally.
Beverley Nicol, a Moncton, N.B., resident, was one of many who gathered along an overpass just outside of the city on Thursday in support of the "freedom convoy."
"I want to support the truckers who are standing up for our rights and freedoms to have choice, vaccine choice, and not be forced to follow government regulations," said Nicol.
Despite the number of supporters who showed up across the region on Thursday, Picard doesn't expect many Maritime truck drivers will actually be involved with the freedom rally.
"For the most part, I don't think there's going to be a huge number of Atlantic Canada, of truck drivers," said Picard. "There might be people going on the convoy, but they're not necessarily part of trucking."
Don Desserud, a political science professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, says mixed messaging can be an issue with protests of this size, when multiple groups are involved.
"What protesters have to do is be absolutely clear about what exactly it is that they're concerned about because that could easily be misconstrued and then the wrong approach is taken, the wrong response is taken, which is not really what they're after," said Desserud.
As far as supply chain issues caused by the freedom convoy, Picard says so far, there seem to be no disruptions. However, he is concerned about protests planned for this weekend, which could potentially see blockades at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Harvey Weinstein due back in court, while a key witness weighs whether to testify at a retrial
Harvey Weinstein will appear in a New York City court next week, the first step in potentially retrying the film mogul after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned.