Canada truckers’ strike exposes Trudeau’s political opportunism on Indian farmers’ stir

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The double standards of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stand exposed with his declaration of a state of emergency to crush the truckers' strike in the country without bothering to hold talks on their grievances. </p>
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Trudeau had gone out of his way to harp on the democratic right to protest of India’s farmers during the agitation against the farm laws, but has himself now gone in for draconian measures to curb the protests of truckers in Canada.</p>
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The scene in Canada's capital, Ottawa, had come to resemble that at the Singhu border of Delhi where thousands of tractor trolleys had lined up to protest against the three controversial farm laws which have now been withdrawn by the Narendra Modi government.</p>
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Referring to the truckers' protest, Trudeau said, "it is no longer a lawful protest and is now an illegal occupation."</p>
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Some 50,000 trucks on January 29 had surrounded the Canadian parliament and the official residence of the PM seeking withdrawal of the mandatory vaccination policy enforced on truckers entering Canada from the US border. A condition had been imposed that in case the truckers were not vaccinated they were supposed to undergo a 14-day quarantine period.</p>
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Trudeau has alleged that the "Freedom Convoy" which started its journey from British Columbia at the end of January to reach Ottawa was funded by some far-right foreign organisations including those owing allegiance to former US president Donald Trump.</p>
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However, when it came to India, Trudeau had at the behest of some Khalistani outfits based in Canada even declared that the entry of thousands of tractors in Delhi on January 26, 2021, which led to violence, was democratic. Ironically, he has now ended up at the receiving end.  </p>
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Toronto-based J.P. Pandher, a correspondent for the popular Omni TV, told India Narrative that more than 80 percent of truckers were vaccinated and it was the US that first framed this compulsory vaccination law which was followed by Canada. With the imposition of the stringent State of Emergency law some leaders of the movement have been arrested and a fine of $ 1 lakh has been imposed on each of them.</p>
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Pandher maintained that the truckers had collected $ 10 lakh through GoFundMe App to sustain the agitation but the Canadian government froze the account.</p>
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Trudeau's government was saved by the support of the National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Jagmeet Singh. Otherwise the Conservatives would have overthrown it on the compulsory vaccination policy.</p>
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Editor-in-Chief of the ethnic media group, Parvasi, Rajinder Saini told India Narrative that Trudeau has used undemocratic methods to crush a peaceful agitation that is alien to the history of Canada.</p>
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The Canadian Center for Civil Liberties said " The federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act…the Act allows the government to bypass ordinary democratic processes."</p>
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The truckers, who enjoyed the support of the Conservatives, brought the working of parliament, the Prime Minister's office, and the administration to a standstill. And surprisingly, Trudeau has left the capital for a secret place to escape the truckers' anger. No one knows where he is now staying with his family.</p>