[quote]wait for it wrote:
You're never gonna guess what... but the US land border also requires vaccinations at their border for non US citizens. /quote]
This would make any victory by the truckers somewhat pyrrhic.
What is interesting is how the various federal and provincial leaders have responded to the protests:
Trudeau (Canada) (Lib) - Hidden from it due to a convenient case of COVID exposure.
O'Toole (Canada) (Ex-Con Leader) - No position, except blame Trudeau.
Kenny (Alberta) (Cons) - Indecisive, as usual, tried to blame Trudeau.
Ford (Ontario) (Cons) - Not my problem.
Legault (Quebec) (Cons-ish) - Mess with Carnival and you will get a fight.
Moe (Saskatchewan) (Con-ish) - Rezoned the area around the parliament to be pedestrian only.
To be fair, Legault and Moe were not affected by the demonstrations that started last weekend. They are dealing with the potential spread of the demonstrations. Which is happening due to the indecisive response to the initial demonstrations.
There is a risk of the Truckers becoming the Canadian version of the 80s Miners in the UK. In the 1970s Unions in general acquired tremendous power and could intimidate any government at a whim. PMs like Wilson, Heath and Callaghan were terrified of upsetting them and appeasement became the norm. During that period the Mineworkers Union had perfected various picketing techniques to further their cause. Britain went through its Winter of Discontent in 1978/79 and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister.
With the election of Thatcher, Arthur Scargill effectively declared war on the Conservative government. In 1984 he called a strike and tried to use flying pickets and secondary picketing to shut down power stations and the rail system. Thatcher fought back and won, and the power of the unions as a political force was broken.
Scargill came out of it OK though. His power within the Union was so great that they elected him "President for Life" shortly after the strike. He retired in 2002.