Truck Drivers Protest Against Trucker Vaccine Rule at Canada-US Border

A  convoy of truck drivers took to the streets on Highway 75, Emerson, Manitoba near the U. S.-Canada border on Jan. 17 following the introduction of new COVID-19 vaccination requirements on truckers put in place by the Canadian and U.S. governments.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that a “large number of vehicles” were involved in the “demonstration” near the Emerson Port of Entry, affecting both northbound and southbound lanes. The RCMP was monitoring traffic flows onsite.

In a video shared on Twitter, protestors in the fleet can be seen flashing signs such as “Last year’s heros, this year’s zeros” and “My body, my choice” in the early morning of Jan. 17.

Drivers were circling the MB-75 “between Emerson Duty Free and the Commercial Inspection station blocking all lanes heading south to the United States and Northbound traffic coming from the USA,” driver Jamie Throp told local radio station CJOB in an interview.

Effective Jan. 15, foreign truck drivers can only enter Canada if fully vaccinated, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Nov. 19, 2021. Unvaccinated foreign drivers will be sent back to the United States.

Canadian truckers who can’t show proof of vaccination “will need to meet requirements for pre-entry, arrival and Day 8 testing, as well as quarantine requirements,” according to a Jan. 13 Canadian Public Health statement. However, the Public Health department added that “a Canadian truck driver who is not fully vaccinated can’t be denied entry into Canada” in the same statement.

Symptomatic individuals will be required to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival in Canada.

Currently, full proof of vaccination includes all who have completed the two-shot series detailed on the Canadian government website or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Similar requirements, effective Jan. 22, were made for non-U. S. national truckers crossing into the United States, the U.S... (Read more)

Tweets mentioned:

https://twitter.com/rcmpmb/status/1483156145845981195

https://twitter.com/TheMarieOakes/status/1483193833236090884

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