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Canadian and U.S. truck drivers who arrived in Ottawa Jan. 29 to protest COVID vaccine mandates showed no signs of leaving, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today said sending in the army to clear the protesters is “not in the cards right now.”

The statement came after Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Wednesday “there may not be a policing solution to this demonstration” and that he and other commanders were “looking at every single option, including military aid to civil power” to end it.

As The Defender reported, thousands of truckers and citizens said they won’t leave Ottawa until government officials lift COVID vaccine mandates imposed Jan. 15 on truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border.

In Alberta, trucks and protestors have shut down and delayed traffic at the U.S. Canada border, demanding the government scrap their vaccine mandate policy for truckers.

Here’s the latest:

  • GoFundMe paused donations to the truckers who raised $7.9 million so far. Only about $780,000 of the funds were released to the truckers. “This fundraiser is currently paused and under review,” said a notice on the Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe page.
  • Facebook permanently suspended the Freedom Convoy organizers’ page. “Convoy to DC 2022″ was planning and coordinating their trek from California to Washington, DC. The group’s organizer called the move “censorship at its finest.”
  • In Alberta, Canada, 2,000 miles east of the “Freedom Convoy,” about 200 big rigs blockaded a U.S.-Canada border crossing, demanding vaccine mandate policies for truckers be scrapped.
  • Alberta police authorities are searching for tow truck companies to assist in the removal of the trucks but are coming up empty handed as towers refuse to work against the truckers.
  • Speaking from self-isolation after he tested positive for the coronavirus, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the “Freedom Convoy” of spreading disinformation and being racist.
  • Reportedly unrelated to the numerous protests, the Canadian Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are looking to remove all COVID related restrictions in the coming weeks.