Faced with the determination of the demonstrators who have been blocking the center of the capital Ottawa for more than ten days, a movement seemed to be beginning on Tuesday, February 8 in Canada, to relax the health restrictions against Covid-19, among the strictest in the world.

Some provinces have thus announced new reductions: Saskatchewan and Alberta (center), will completely give up the vaccine passport, believing that “the advantages no longer outweigh the costs”.

And for the first time since the implementation of new restrictions linked to the Omicron wave, Quebec has announced a detailed timetable for the relief to come.

Although the epicenter is in Ottawa, the whole country is shaken by this movement.

Called "Freedom Convoy", it was originally intended to protest against the decision to force truckers to be vaccinated to cross the border with the United States.

But it quickly turned into a movement against health measures as a whole and against the government.

A blocked border bridge

In central Ottawa, between 400 and 500 trucks still occupied the streets on Tuesday to oppose sanitary measures, a situation "out of control" for the city which triggered a state of emergency this weekend.

Truckers, who have been banned since Monday from honking after a court decision, have found another way to be heard: to roar the engines of their trucks, making the air unbreathable.

Outside Ottawa, the movement continues to spread: the Ambassador Bridge, a vital trade route between North American neighbors, which connects Ontario to Detroit, in the United States, was blocked by demonstrators on Tuesday.

A situation which could have "serious consequences on the economy" if it continues, alert authorities and companies.

This suspension bridge is crucial for the automotive industry but also for American hospitals which employ many Canadian nurses.

Wider than expected popular support

In Canada, where health measures are in most provinces more restrictive than elsewhere in the world, the movement has received wider popular support than anticipated by the authorities.

According to a latest poll, a third of Canadians support the movement and 44% of those vaccinated understand "the cause and the frustrations conveyed by the protesters".

But Justin Trudeau "is betting that the movement will run out of steam on its own," said Félix Mathieu, a political scientist from the University of Winnipeg.

On Tuesday, however, a rare dissonant voice was heard in the ranks of the Liberals, the party of Justin Trudeau.

Denouncing more restrictive measures than elsewhere, Quebec MP Joël Lightbound explained "to feel uneasy with the direction that the government has decided to take in the management of the pandemic".

He called for a "more unifying" and less "dividing" approach.

With AFP

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