Canadians are responding enmasse to help the country’s truckers..A GoFundMe to help the truckers surpassed the $1 million mark on Friday afternoon, after only being established six days ago..Money donated is to be dispersed among truckers to aid with journey costs..Truckers and supporters alike have gathered in a cross-country convoy drive in protest of mandatory vaccinations for their industry..Donations go towards the cost of fuel, then food and lodgings along the journey..“.Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” the donation page says..“It’s our duty as Canadians to put an end to this mandates. It is imperative that this happens because if we don’t our country will no longer be the country we have come to love. We are doing this for our future Generations and to regain our lives back.”.Truckers Freedom Convoy 2022 has 3 main routes departing from Vancouver, BC, Sarnia, ON, and Enfield, NS, all meeting in Ottawa on January 29, 2022..Smaller chains will drive to meet with the main convoy from more rural locations across Canada..You can find all the routes of the convoy here..“We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations across the globe from Tyrannical governments who oppressed their people, well now its happening to us. We are taking our fight to the doorsteps of our Federal Government and demanding that they cease all mandates against its people. Small businesses are being destroyed, homes are being destroyed, and people are being mistreated and denied fundamental necessities to survive,” the group says..The.GoFundMe.page has a goal of $1,100,000..“But it’s a small price to pay for our freedoms. We thank you all for your Donations and know that you are helping reshape this once beautiful country back to the way it was,” says the page..Truckers were previously deemed “essential,” however the federal government green-lit the loss of 12,000-16,000 (10-15%) of cross-border commercial drivers by making vaccinations mandatory, as anticipated by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA)..“This number may not sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but in cross-border areas such as Vancouver or Windsor, there’s a lot of drivers who will cross the border five or six times a day. That’s a lot of loads in a year that no longer have a way of coming up,” Colin Valentim told the Western Standard..Ewa Sudyk is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.esudyk@westernstandardonline.com
