The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement on Saturday responding to a convoy intended to protest a bilateral mandate by the Canadian and US governments requiring all essential workers, including truck drivers, to be vaccinated.

The statement, from the alliance’s president and posted online, says while a number of truckers traveled to Ottawa to voice their displeasure with the mandate, “a great number” of those protestors are not connected to the trucking industry and appear to have a separate agenda beyond a disagreement over cross border vaccine requirements.

The alliance says as protest unfold across the country over the weekend, they are asking Canadians to be aware that many of the people involved in the protests are not connected to the trucking industry.

A convoy of trucks departed Confederation Building in St. John’s Saturday afternoon, led by a police escort, and drove through the capital city with Canadian flags and derogatory signs targeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

There have been reports of some journalists being targeted and harassed while covering the protest. And newsrooms have received calls from those criticizing media.

The Truckers Alliance is asking those participating in the protest to engage in peaceful demonstrations and then leave the Ottawa area to avoid any issues with the welfare and safety of local citizens.

The Alliance’s statement goes on to say that the behaviour being exhibited will not only reflect upon those involved and their families, but on the “300,000 plus fellow Canadians, that, like you take great pride in our industry.”

Below is a portion of the statement by CTA