True to type, Canadians such as myself are humble enough to know that when the rest of the world thinks of us — which, admittedly, is almost never — it is as a kinder, gentler and less ideological version of our raucous American neighbors to the south. O Canada! We put the real in realpolitik.

While Canadians have been consuming news from down south since the dawn of broadcasting, the American right appears to be speaking directly to them now. On Friday, Trump endorsed the convoy.

When you belong to a country mercifully untroubled by civil war, catastrophic political upheaval or alarming geopolitics, you are used to being looked upon as a shining beacon of all that is good. Whether that’s entirely accurate, it is usually where the narrative ends.

This may explain why Canada’s been receiving some international side-eye lately. A nation that has spent the pandemic widely supportive of protective measures, such as travel restrictions, vaccine passports, occasional curfews and business closures, is making headlines at home and around the world as its capital city, Ottawa, is flooded with protesters pushing back.

The Freedom Convoy, a demonstration against the requirement that Canadian truckers crossing the U.S. border be inoculated against Covid-19, has resulted in blocked streets around Parliament Hill as protesters demand an end to pandemic-related restrictions or for the prime minister to resign, or both. There are worries more protesters will arrive this weekend, and the people of Ottawa are fed up.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/truckers-canada-protesting-covid-vaccine-mandates-show-canada-s-trumpists-ncna1288679

Article from January 26

Ottawa police say they have been in touch with leaders of a trucker convoy over weekend protest plans in the capital and are getting ready for a several scenarios — including violence.

https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/ottawa-police-contact-trucker-convoy-leaders-preparing-for-potential-violence

Article from India

Thousands of people descended in Ottawa last week to protest against the country's measures to combat COVID-19, including vaccine mandates.

The Canadian Police on Wednesday, February 2, stated that anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators in Ottawa received some assistance from their southern neighbours, with a "significant element" from the United States involved in fundraising and organising the event. Earlier on Friday, January 28, thousands of people descended in Ottawa to protest against the country's measures to combat COVID-19, including vaccine mandates and the wearing of masks. People expressed their displeasure with the requirement that truck drivers crossing the border be completely vaccinated, The Washington Post reported.

"The protesters have gathered in our city, and more are on the way. Locals and other Canadians are among the participants, putting our city, its citizens, and our officers in grave danger," Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly states, as per The Washington Post. The number of demonstrators has decreased significantly over the weekend when thousands gathered on Parliament Hill. However, a dedicated core group is still active, the report stated. "We are striving to be responsible, law-abiding, ethical, and prudent. The longer this goes on, the more convinced I am that there will be no police solution to this protest," Sloly added.

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/canada-ottawa-police-claims-anti-vaxx-protesters-received-significant-element-from-us-articleshow.html