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.

— 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.