A Canadian province has conceded to nationwide demonstrations by the nation’s truckers and will abolish vaccine passports immediately and end most COVID-related restrictions by month’s end.
Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, announced Tuesday evening that the passport requirement to enter businesses in the province will end at 11:59 p.m. local time and most other restrictions will be gone in three steps over the next three weeks.
“Now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID,” Mr. Kenney said in a televised address. “These restrictions have led to terrible division.”
“We cannot remain at a heightened state of emergency forever. We have to begin to heal,” he said.
The Ottawa “Freedom Convoy,” which has shut down Canada’s capital in the past weeks, has spread throughout the country and trucks have been blockading the southern border with the U.S., demanding an end to all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
Earlier Tuesday, the Alberta premier also vowed to fight Canada’s federal government over its demand that all trucker drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“If the Canada-USA trucker vaccine mandate wasn’t bad enough, now Justin Trudeau wants to bring in a mandate for truckers going between provinces,” Mr. Kenney wrote on Twitter. “Alberta will fight this every step of the way — including in court, if we have to.”
The leader of Alberta’s left-wing New Democratic Party accused Mr. Kenney of knuckling under to “criminals.”
“The sight of an elected government being bent to the will of criminals should be of grave concern to everyone regardless of their political beliefs,” Rachel Notley said.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
