#portage-lisgar

[allthecanadianpolitics]

With four federal byelections set in three provinces next month, one of those provinces, in particular, will likely draw the attention of political analysts.

“All eyes will turn to Manitoba on election night,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

On June 19, voters in the Manitoba ridings of Portage—Lisgar and Winnipeg South Centre will choose their next members of Parliament, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday. Voters in the Ontario riding of Oxford and Quebec’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount will also head to the ballot box that night.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[thegnmsolution]

Bernier says he will run to fill former CPC MP Candice Bergen’s Manitoba seat

Bernier says he will run to fill former CPC MP Candice Bergen’s Manitoba seat By Cosmin Dzsurdzsa - May 12, 2023 People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier will compete for a federal seat in rural Manitoba in a forthcoming byelection. Bernier will be running to replace former Conservative Party interim leader and Portage–Lisgar MP Candice Bergen who announced she was leaving political life. In an announcement, Bernier pitted himself as the main opponent to the Conservatives – his former political home. “I’m proud to announce that I’m putting my name forward in the upcoming byelection in your riding,” Bernier told supporters. “I’m ready to be your representative in the House of Commons, because we know that families deserve a strong voice and I’m ready to be that strong voice for you and for the country.” According to Bernier, the byelection results will be a “major turning point” for Canada. Although the byelection has yet to be called by the Prime Minister, the Conservatives nominated candidate Branden Leslie to run in the riding. In the 2021 federal election, PPC candidate Solomon Wiebe came second to Bergen with 21.58% of the vote – among the best results the party has seen running federally. According to the latest poll , the PPC is currently sitting at 2% of the federal vote. During his speech, Bernier blasted the “woke cult” that is tearing down the traditional foundations of Canadian society. “The woke cult is tearing down the traditional pillars of our society and seeking to establish a twisted and deeply sick vision of the future,” said Bernier. “It is not the People’s Party that divides the Conservative vote, on the contrary, it is the Conservatives who move ever more to the left to divide the Liberal vote.” Author * Cosmin Dzsurdzsa Cosmin Dzsurdzsa Journalist and Senior Research Fellow

Read the full article

[college-girl199328]

Manitoba's government has four brand new faces in cabinet and several others with new portfolios, including Cliff Cullen, who continues as deputy premier and is the new finance minister. Calling it a time of "hope and renewal," Premier Heather Stefanson unveiled her new cabinet at the legislative building on Monday.

It comes three days after Cameron Friesen (Morden-Winkler) announced his intention to run for the federal Conservative nomination in the Portage-Lisgar riding, and it follows a string of announcements from other Progressive Conservative caucus members indicating their intention to leave provincial politics. One of those heading out is Cullen.

Klein has only been an elected member for a little more than a month. Appointing him to cabinet shows the "political chaos" the Tories are in at the moment, "rearranging deck chairs rather [than] fixing health care," Kinew said.

In addition to Cullen (Spruce Woods), whose role includes Manitoba Hydro, Stefanson shuffled the duties of several current cabinet members. Eileen Clarke (Agassiz) is now minister of Indigenous reconciliation and northern relations, even though she is among the party members who have declared they are not seeking re-election in this year's election, which must be held on or before Oct. 3.

Wharton is the minister of economic development, investment, and trade. Guillemard is a minister of the reframed Department of Advanced Education and Training.

Smith moves to the department of municipal relations and retains responsibility for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. Jon Reyes is a minister in the newly established Department of Labor and Immigration.

Stefanson thanked outgoing cabinet members Friesen, Helwer (Brandon West), and Alan Lagimodiere (Selkirk) "for everything that they have done, for their service to the province of Manitoba, for the people of Manitoba." Helwer and Lagimodiere are two of the 12 party members who have said they are not running again or have already left. A number of those announcements came earlier this month.

For the past two years, the governing Conservatives have trailed the opposition New Democrats in opinion polls, particularly in Winnipeg, where the majority of legislature seats are located. Stefanson spoke of the changes with optimism.

This is the first time in Manitoba's history that the premier, lieutenant governor (Anita Neville), and clerk of the executive council (Kathryn Gerrard)—the three people who oversee a cabinet shuffle—are all women, Stefanson said.

[atlanticcanada]

Conservatives name Candice Bergen as interim leader after O'Toole voted out

The Conservative Party of Canada has named Candice Bergen as interim leader following a private vote late Wednesday evening.

Bergen, who had the role of deputy party leader, finished tops among nine candidates in a private preferential ballot.

Bergen has represented the Manitoba riding of Portage—Lisgar since 2008. She is replacing Erin O’Toole, who was ousted earlier Wednesday when 73 MPs voted to replace him.

“I want to express my gratitude and respect to [O’Toole] for his leadership and the sacrifices he’s made for our party and caucus,” Bergen tweeted earlier Wednesday. “Thanks also to Rebecca and the O’Toole family for their dedication and support. Erin is an asset and will continue to be a valued member of our team.”

Bergen has previously held the role of Minister of State for Social Development in Stephen Harper’s government and served as Opposition House leader under Rona Ambrose.

Lori Turnbull, director of Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration, said Bergen brings experience and name recognition to the Conservative party leadership, which can be “a blessing and a curse.”

“A lot of people who know her -- for better or worse -- would associate her with Harper, with Erin O’Toole, with Andrew Scheer,” she told CTV News Channel. “If you’re deciding whether the party’s going to go in a new direction or keep continuity, she’s definitely the continuity candidate.”

Turnbull added that Bergen’s first order of business would be to try to unite the party, which could be a challenge.

“She knows the party really well, she has the trust of people, but whether or not she’s going to be able to bring together factions of the party that actually fundamentally disagree on really important questions, I don’t know that she’s going to have the time or the space to do that,” she said.

Ron Liepert, a Conservative MP from Alberta, said it will be difficult for Bergen to unify the party.

"It's going to be a bloody tough job," he told The Canadian Press.

Meanwhile, other MPs embrace the change as a chance for a fresh start.

"Erin was a long time coming," said Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux. "You can't run in the leadership on one thing and then do something else."

Bergen faced stiff competition for the role, as eight other MPs threw their names in the hat for a chance at leading the party, though not all the candidates stated their intentions publicly.

Among those interested in the position were Marilyn Gladu, a Conservative MP for Sarnia–Lambton. 

“I’ll put my name forward and see what the caucus has to say about that and then we’ll see where we go from there,” she told CTV News Channel’s Power Play earlier on Wednesday.

“I think this is an opportunity for a fresh start to unify the party. We definitely need to see that kind of unity and I think the grassroots needs to weigh in on the policy positions that we took in the last election, so we can be successful, expand the base and win the next election.”

CTV News app sign-up: Breaking news alerts and top stories delivered right to you

John Williamson, MP for New Brunswick Southwest, announced in a tweet that he too was among those interested in leading the party.

“I know how to keep us united around the things that matter most to us as Conservatives,” he said in a statement posted online. “We must demonstrate to our supporters and future voters we’re fighting for them – every day – with a consistent plan.”

Rob Moore, MP for the Fundy Royal riding of New Brunswick, had also thrown his name into the ring. Moore is currently the shadow cabinet minister for Justice.

“Now, more than anytime since prime minister [Stephen] Harper left office, our party needs sensible, experienced, and above all else, principled, Conservative leadership,” he said in a statement.

HIGH-PROFILE NAMES NOT INTERESTED IN LEADERSHIP

When it comes to who might be interested in leading the party long-term,there are also several high-profile Conservatives who’ve stated they don’t intend run.

In a statement to CTV News, former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose said she isn’t interested.

“It’s really hard to see what’s happening and not jump back in to help,” she said. “My heart says yes but my head says no. I’m not going to go back at this juncture in my life. Our kids are at the age where they need us and I am enjoying being in business.”

Earlier this week, both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said they are not interested in federal leadership and are instead focused on their respective provinces.

“My hands are full,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday. “I love being premier of this province. That's my job.”

“I'm just 24/7 working on getting us out of this pandemic.”

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/tsmavFik1

[weirdwideworld]

Canada: Conservatives oust Erin O'Toole for nothing

Canadian politics is so...boring, but on Wednesday, Conservatives MPs has ousted their party leader Erin O'Toole in cause of he isn't conservative enough by 73 of the 118 Conservative parliamentarians voted to replace the man who led the party to defeat in last year's election.

Candice Bergen was voted interim leader on Wednesday evening.

But the MP for Portage-Lisgar in Manitoba will not be allowed to stand as permanent leader whenever that is decided, reports CBC News.

The final vote to oust Mr O'Toole was not close, with just 45 MPs voting in favour of keeping him on.

Earlier this week, almost one-third of Conservative legislators signed a letter calling for a leadership review.

Amid a petition for him to go, Mr O'Toole fired back in a Facebook post on Monday, writing: "I'm not going anywhere and I'm not turning back. Canada needs us to be united and serious!

"It's time for a reckoning. To settle this in caucus. Right here. Right now. Once and for all. Anger vs Optimism. That is the choice in simple terms."

In a video posted on Facebook after his defeat, Mr O'Toole called it "the honour of a lifetime" to lead the party and offered his "departing thoughts".

"I do this knowing that I've had my moment - my time at the microphone. But I love my country and my party too much not to comment."

"This country needs a Conservative party that is both an intellectual force and a governing force. Ideology without power is vanity. Seeking power without ideology is hubris."

He added that Canadians deserve "exemplary management" from their government. He also called on politicians to "hear the other side. Listen to all voices. Not just the echoes from your own tribe."

The four-term MP, who represents an area of suburban Toronto, will be replaced by an interim leader.

Moments after the vote, MP John Williamson tweeted that he was putting forth his name to take over temporarily.

"As caretaker leader, I will respect what our movement, party and caucus have to say. I came from the grassroots of this party, and I have deep respect for Parliament," he wrote.

Mr O'Toole has been fighting to hold the position since the September 2021 election, in which the party lost out to Justin Trudeau's Liberals.

Speaking about Mr O'Toole's leadership defeat, Mr Trudeau on Wednesday praised his departing rival.

"There is a lot we don't agree on for the direction of this country, but he stepped up to serve his country and I want to thank him for his sacrifice," Mr Trudeau said.

This will be the third time that Conservatives have picked a new party leader since 2017.

Conclusion: Who's be next contender to be defeat by Justin Trudeau?

[sachkiawaaj]

Candice Bergen voted interim Conservative leader after caucus ousts O'Toole

Candice Bergen voted interim Conservative leader after caucus ousts O’Toole

Candice Bergen was voted interim leader of the Conservatives on Wednesday evening after a majority of party MPs voted to remove Erin O’Toole as leader earlier in the day. Bergen has been the MP for the Manitoba riding of Portage—Lisgar since 2008. She was previously the Conservatives’ deputy leader and has been among the party’s most prominent voices in the House of Commons, where she frequently…

[cdntrustee]

CANADA BANKING INFO COLLECTION: YOUR EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY ACCORDING TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU

CANADA BANKING INFO COLLECTION: YOUR EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY ACCORDING TO JUSTIN TRUDEAU

Canada banking info collection:  Introduction

On October 29, 2018, the Hon. Candice Bergen (Portage– Lisgar, CPC), stood in Parliament during Question Period. She talked to troubling reports this previous weekend that Statistics Canada was taking part in Canada banking info collection without the consent of the people whose info was being asked for.

Statistics Canadanotified financial…

[dylzim]

Emergency Session of Parliament -- Refugee Ban

Under the read more will be a list of MPs who spoke at the Emergency Session last night. This is not a comprehensive list of attendance, necessarily, because our House of Commons does not release that information publicly by agreement of the parties. So all I’ve done here is gone to Hansard (link for this debate, navigate to the debate using the sidebar) and written the name, and where the information was present the constituency and party of each member who spoke in the order they spoke. On the Hansard itself you can read the entire transcript of the debate. My MP was there but I’m not particularly pleased with his contributions to the debate, for example. Anyway, here’s, again, the list of people who spoke at the session.

Assistant Deputy Speaker - Anthony Rota

Assistant Deputy Speaker - Mrs. Carol Hughes

Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of commons, Lib.)

Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park---Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (London North Centre, Lib)

Hon. Thomas Mulcair (Outremont, NDP)

Mr. Stéphane Lauzon (Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Lib)

Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib)

Mrs. Karen Vecchio (Elgin---Middlesex---London, CPC)

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich---Gulf Islands, GP)

Ms. Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (Hochelaga, NDP)

Mr. Matt DeCourcey (Parliamentary SEcretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib)

Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt---Saannich---Sooke, NDP)

Hon. Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill, CPC)

Mr. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Lib)

Ms. Niki AShton (Churchill---Keewatinook Aski, NDP)

Hon. Candice Bergen (Portage---Lisgar, CPC)

Mrs. Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Lib)

Ms. Linda Duncan (Edmonton Strathcona, NDP)

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island---Powell River, NDP)

Mr. Randeep Sarai (Surrey Centre, Lib)

Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan---Malahat---Langford, NDP)

Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills---Grasslands, CPC)

Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic---L'Erable, CPC)

Mr. Ramez Ayoub (Thérèse-De Blainville, Lib)

Mr. Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal, Lib)

Mr. Murray Rankin (Victoria, NDP)

Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib)

Mr. Bob Saroya (Markham---Unionville, CPC)

Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Toronto---Danforth, Lib)

Hon. Tony Clement (Parry Sound---Muskoka, CPC)

Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches---East York, Lib)

Mr. Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre, Lib)

Ms. Tracey Ramsey (Essex, NDP)

Mr. Daniel Blaikie

Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay---Albemi, NDP)

Mr. Ali Ehsassi (Willowdale, Lib)

Mr. Wayne Stetski (Kootenay---Columbia, NDP)

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are being accused of sending homophobic mailings attacking People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier to voter’s homes ahead of a federal byelection in Manitoba.

Bernier, who only narrowly lost the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2018, is seeking a seat in Parliament by running in Portage-Lisgar, a rural Manitoba riding recently vacated by former Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen.

Bernier, who now leads the far-right People’s Party, is up against Conservative candidate Branden Leslie, a longtime party staffer turned lobbyist — the campaign has devolved into both candidates accusing one another of being fake conservatives.

Now, the People’s Party is alleging Poilievre’s Conservatives are engaging in an 11th hour dirty tricks campaign by circulating photos of Bernier celebrating Pride. [...]

Continue Reading.

Note from the poster @el-shab-hussein: why are we still pretending this f*cker is still relevant and that platforming his views in journalism isn't just gonna spread his fascist beliefs and legitimize them?

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @vague-humanoid

[allthecanadianpolitics]

People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier will run in an upcoming byelection for a federal seat in Manitoba, Radio-Canada has learned.

Bernier, a former cabinet minister who quit the Conservative caucus in 2018 to found the party, will make an official announcement in Portage la Prairie on Friday.

The riding of Portage-Lisgar was held previously by longtime Conservative MP Candice Bergen, who served as the party's interim leader last year and stepped down in February.

Bernier has said he was considering running for the seat, in part because it is in a rural area with a large francophone community. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The by-election in Portage-Lisgar is giving me mad anxiety. The leads are the PPC and the CPC, and right now both Maxime Bernier and Branden Leslie are trying to outdo each other and see which one can be the most transphobic to earn votes. Knowing Bernier has more support in my riding than either the LPC or the NDP is frankly terrifying. He's never even lived here and didn't know about this place until now. Yet, people here are rushing to him thanks to his PPC dropping a platform that wants to get rid of trans healthcare. I'm horrified at the thought that so many in my area think trans people shouldn't exist.

~~~~

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Manitoba's finance minister is stepping down to run for a seat in the House of Commons.

Cameron Friesen said he informed Premier Heather Stefanson on Friday morning of his plan to leave cabinet.

He will resign his legislature seat in the near future and seek the federal Conservative nomination in the riding of Portage-Lisgar, he said. MP Candice Bergen, who currently holds the seat, announced in the fall she would not seek re-election.

"When an MP steps down, it creates an opportunity — one that doesn't present itself often. And it was one that my wife, Shelley, and I felt increasingly compelled to at least give consideration to," Friesen said in an interview from his Winkler-Morden constituency, southwest of Winnipeg.

Friesen's decision is the latest in a series of recent similar announcements by Progressive Conservative caucus members. Roughly one-third of the 36 caucus members elected in 2019 have either quit in the last two years or have said they are not running again in the provincial election scheduled for Oct. 3.

The governing Tories have been trailing the Opposition New Democrats in opinion polls for two years, especially in Winnipeg, where most legislature seats are. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

An undated photo circulating on social media Thursday shows Candice Bergen, the Manitoba MP for Portage-Lisgar and deputy Conservative leader, wearing a MAGA hat.

The photo shows Bergen wearing a camouflage baseball cap with outgoing President Donald Trump's slogan Make America Great Again on it.

To many, the MAGA hat has become a symbol of racism and white supremacy.

CBC News contacted Bergen and the Conservative Party of Canada about the photograph, asking when the photo was taken and for confirmation that the person in the image is, in fact, Bergen.

Neither Bergen nor the Conservative Party answered those questions.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

I want to vote for the NDP, but my candidate isn't even campaigning. I've requested a lawn sign, and haven't received one, she has no signs up at all in my area. She didn't show up to the local debates, and I can barely find any info about her online. I can't vote for someone who doesn't seem to care at all. So now I have no idea who to vote for. It really sucks. I wrote her an email, I hope she responds. My riding is Portage-Lisgar, maybe someone can find evidence of her actually campaigning.

A lot of the time people think the candidate isn’t campaigning but most of the time its that the candidate has so few volunteers and donations, that they can’t effectively campaign. If you want to help them campaign more effectively you can see if its possible to donate or volunteer fo them. They need all the help they can get.

If the campaign has no donations or volunteers they can’t even make signs. They can’t cover the majority of the riding, etc.

I had a late candidate nominated and she had no presence for a long time until this week, and now I’ve seen lots of signs come up and they’ve done lots of events now.

[college-girl199328]

Singh today condemned a convoy of truckers and others travelling to Ottawa to protest a federal law requiring vaccinations against COVID-19 for all cross-border. "Inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments" were used by some of those behind the demonstration to spread "false information."

Dhaliwal, Singh's brother-in-law donated $13,000 to the group behind the demonstration, which participants called the "freedom convoy." In a statement to CBC News, Singh said he doesn't support a campaign that harbours "extremist and dangerous views" and "unambiguously" disapproves of his brother-in-law's donation.

Singh said he disagreed with him about the donation and told him that. "I am against the convoy and against the dangerous and divisive rhetoric that comes from it. I understand people are frustrated that we are still in this pandemic two years after it began. The best way to get out of this pandemic and to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe is to get vaccinated and to listen to public health experts."

An NDP source, speaking on background, said Dhaliwal was not quite sure what the money was for. According to the source, there was a misunderstanding. Once the donor understood the true nature of this organization, the process of returning the donation began.

Dhaliwal has hidden from the public list of donors to the convoy while GoFundMe processes the reversal, the source said. Canada Unity is organizing the protest, which opposes COVID-19 measures. It is intended to pressure Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to drop the mandate for truckers to receive vaccines and to slash public health protections.

Trudeau said today that most Canadians disagree with the message of the convoy. According to him, 90 percent of Canadian truckers have been vaccinated. A small fringe minority of people en route to Ottawa or expressing unacceptable views do not represent the views of Canadians who have stood by each other," Trudeau said at a news conference today.

Canada Unity's "memorandum of understanding" demands Ottawa and the provinces and territories end "unconstitutional, discriminatory and segregatory actions and human rights violations" brought about by programs such as the vaccine passport system for non-essential businesses and vaccine requirements for the public servants and transportation workers. Government leaders are urged either to make changes or to "resign their lawful positions of authority Immediately."

Singh criticized Conservative politicians for supporting people opposed to public health measures. "Conservative politicians are supporting people who oppose public health measures," stated Singh.

Tory deputy leader Candice Bergen has joined a growing list of MPs who have said they stand with protesting truckers. She says her party opposes any mandate requiring vaccines. She said Trudeau's attempt to boost vaccination rates will "deal yet another blow to our already weakened supply chain." The policy will aggravate an existing trucker shortage and "increase inflation higher than it has been in over 30 years," Bergen said.

The economy must be reopened now more than ever before, and every sector must be at work to recover from the pandemic. I support peaceful demonstrations against these mandates and I support the truckers from Portage-Lisgar and from across Canada," Bergen said, referring to the riding she represents. The federal policy has been referred to as a "vaccine vendetta" by Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis from Alberta.

CBC News quoted Poilievre as accusing Trudeau and Singh of "insulting" truckers taking part in the convoy. He said, "You don't have to agree with everything that every truck driver says, but you can thank them for keeping us alive and acknowledge their legitimate frustration."

Among the Conservative MPs who have expressed support for the convoy is Shields, who represents the Alberta riding of Bow River. Shields has promised to meet with the convoy when it arrives in Ottawa. Bob Benzen, the Conservative MP for Calgary Heritage, said he supports the convoy and its protest against "coercive, intrusive and authoritarian dictates of this government."

Benzen said, "This vaccination mandate for truckers who served us for over two years of the crisis is ridiculous and unacceptable." The Conservative Leader has not been as vocal as some of his caucus colleagues about the convoy protest. Asked if he would meet with convoy organizers in Ottawa, O'Toole refused to commit, accusing Trudeau of "dividing Canadians" by taking shots at truckers.

He explained, "It's not for the leader of the opposition or a political party to attend a protest on Capitol Hill or a convoy. It is up to politicians to find solutions in a cost of living crisis in a manner that is responsible and respectful of the public health crisis we are facing." Many cross-border truckers already have the necessary shots, but industry groups estimate 12,000 to 16,000 unvaccinated Canadian drivers could be pulled off the road by this policy.

Many business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Council of Canada, and the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, have expressed concern about the trucker mandate. According to a statement released Wednesday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) urged the federal government to abandon its mandate "before serious supply shortages and price increases threaten even more businesses."

Although the new mandate is likely to disrupt the flow of goods, the recent pandemics were driven by the Omicron variants, COVID-19 restrictions in China, and a global shortage of shipping containers have also contributed to ongoing supply issues in the food and retail sectors. The transportation minister pushed back against Conservative claims that the vaccine mandate is causing higher prices and empty shelves.

In another news conference, Alghabra stated that the pandemic, an increase in worker absenteeism due to illness, a change in consumption patterns (Canadians have been spending more money on goods than on services during the pandemic) and a series of "climate change events" have disrupted the normal flow of business. Alghabra said it is inaccurate and false to reduce the supply chain problems to vaccine mandates.

"As a result, it was a good time to encourage the remaining truck drivers to get vaccinated. It was coordinated and it happened at the same time that the U.S. was implementing one as well on its own border." The United States has been implementing a similar requirement requiring all passengers making their way to the country to show proof they've had their shots before entering.

Consequently, the Canadian government could drop its new vaccine requirement and unvaccinated Canadian drivers still wouldn't be able to cross the international border. Ms. Bergen supports "peaceful" demonstrations against the mandate. However, the convoy's peaceability remains unclear.

Tamara Lich, at least one of the convoy organizers whose roots are in separatist circles in Alberta, wants the protest to be peaceful. However, some people who've aligned with the convoy have used more heated rhetoric. Due to the convoy of trucks and other vehicles leaving B.C. for Ottawa, extremists and fringe groups have taken to social media to encourage their followers to descend on Ottawa and damage property and threaten elected officials.

It was last year on Jan. 6 that supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol Building. He explained that every participant in the convoy needs to be registered with their "road captains" and that anyone who fails to behave in an orderly manner "will be removed from the convoy.