Will the “freedom convoy” finally prevail? The Premier of Ontario, the province where the capital Ottawa is located, announced on Monday, February 14, the upcoming lifting of the vaccine passport, in this part of the country.
→ EXPLANATION. Canada: opponents of health restrictions do not let go in Ottawa
“We are going to drop the passports” on March 1, said Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, at a press conference, explaining that a large majority of people were vaccinated and that the peak of Omicron had passed.
Gradual lifting from February 17
According to the Canadian press, the restrictions will be gradually lifted from February 17. Gatherings of 25 people in private residences and 100 people at sporting or artistic events will again be authorized. The wearing of the mask inside will nevertheless be maintained.
The province of Ontario has been the scene for several weeks of a massive protest organized by Canadian truck drivers. The participants of the “freedom convoy” demand the lifting of sanitary measures to cross the Canada-US border. They have been blocking the streets of Ottawa for several weeks.
Expanded claims
If the demands initially related to the vaccine pass, they quickly extended to a refusal of all health measures and, for many demonstrators, to a rejection of the federal government led by Justin Trudeau.
“People die of sadness, not disease,” says Jessy Beliveau, blue wig and dress made with disposable masks. “The Covid, it exists, yes, it’s a flu”, she adds, calling for the end of health measures in a country where more than 35,000 people have died from Covid.