Canada has employed strict restrictions in its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. But unlike in the United States, such measures have received very little pushback or politicization — until recently.

Truckers protesting a vaccine mandate have occupied the nation’s capital, Ottawa, for three weeks, leading Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to declare a state of national emergency.

We ask how Canada got to this point, and hear what the protest is like on the ground. 

Guest: Catherine Porter, the Toronto bureau chief for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• The trucker protests seem to challenge the cherished image that Canadians are moderate, rule-following and just plain nice. But was that really a myth all along?
• The fractious coalition behind Canada’s protests include former law enforcement officers, military veterans and conservative organizers. 

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