Canada's PM Justin Trudeau, his family moved to secret location as thousands in Ottawa protest vaccine mandates

Protestors sit on a trailer carrying logs as truckers and supporters take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Image: Reuters)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family have been moved from their home in Ottawa to an unknown location amid security concerns as thousands of protesters gathered in the national capital in trucker convoys on January 29 to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.

Protestors compared vaccine mandates to fascism: one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Trudeau. Following this, the PM and his family were moved to an undisclosed location in the nation's capital, CBC reported.

The PM's itinerary for the day usually says he is in Ottawa if he's at home, but on January 29 it said "National Capital Region" amid a report he's been moved to an undisclosed location, according to a report by Associated Press. One of Trudeau's kids has COVID-19 and the PM has been isolating and working remotely.

During the protest, some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas and some used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, sparking widespread condemnation.

In response to this, General Wayne Eyre, Canada's chief of the Defense Staff, tweeted, “I am sickened to see protesters dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrate the National War Memorial. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this. Those involved should hang their heads in shame.”

I am sickened to see protesters dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrate the National War Memorial. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this. Those involved should hang their heads in shame.

COVID-19 Vaccine

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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— General / Général Wayne Eyre (@CDS_Canada_CEMD) January 29, 2022

The statue of Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with an upside down Canadian flag with a sign that said mandate freedom.

Trudeau retweeted a statement from The Terry Fox Foundation that said Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and the premier of the province of Quebec who is proposing to tax the unvaccinated is popular.