The Conservatives have taken the cause of trucker convoy protesters to the floor of the House of Commons, forcing a vote calling for the federal government to present a plan to lift all federal COVID-19 “mandates and restrictions” by the end of the month.
Through its opposition day motion on Thursday, the Official Opposition is having the chamber spend most of the day debating its proposal to see the federal government present this plan by Feb. 28, citing provinces beginning to lift COVID-19 restrictions and referencing a comment from Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam where she suggested existing measures should be “re-evaluated.”
In her opening speech presenting the motion, interim Leader Candice Bergen called the “Freedom Convoy” that’s now prompted blockades at border crossings in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario an “international phenomenon,” before going on to call for the truckers to roll along peacefully.
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“I believe the time has come for you to take down the barricades, stop the disruptive action, and come together. The economy that you want to see reopened, is hurting,” Bergen said.
“I believe this is not what you want to do… You’re protesting because you love your country, you want your freedom back. To the protexjmtzywsters here in Ottawa, you came bringing a message, that message has been heard.”
The federal government has implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates for air, rail and marine travel; for public servants; and in federally-regulated sectors such as cross-border trucking, though the vast majority of restrictions and other measures such as curfews and capacity limits are provincial responsibility.
“We all, every one of us in this House, have a role to play in ending this impasse, restoring peace in order, and at the same time allowing Canadians to get back to their normal life,” Bergen said.
The motion is slated to come to a vote on Monday.
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Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen finishes her remarks during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the situation in Ottawa, as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions that has been marked by gridlock and the sound of truck horns continues into its second week, in Ottawa, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
