"Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens' daily lives, it has to stop", Trudeau said in a speech to Canada's Parliament on Monday evening. "People of Ottawa don't deserve to be harassed in their own neighbourhoods. They don't deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner or Confederate flag".
The wave of protests across Canada began in mid-January, with thousands of truckers and other demonstrators converging upon Ottawa to express strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. The protest has since evolved into an anti-government demonstration, with various groups uniting in opposition to Trudeau.