Traffic through the Emerson Border crossing was slow going throughout Monday.

A large number of truckers and their supporters were protesting vaccine mandates at the Canada/U.S. Border. Social media photos show semi-trailers decorated with signs expressing opposition to not only newly enforced vaccination mandates, but also the carbon tax, and censorship.

On Saturday, the federal vaccination mandate for truck drivers came into effect. The new rules required truck drivers to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face a two-week quarantine and PCR testing upon crossing into Canada. The U.S. is preparing to impose similar restrictions on Canadian truckers on January 22nd.

Joe Janzen of Smoke N' Transport in Morden participated in the convoy.

"Currently, I'm at the Emerson border supporting all the truckers. There's a lot of support here right now. We're just slow rolling. We're not blocking things off, just keeping things moving very slowly," he explained. "We're not stopping life in general," added Janzen, noting other traffic is still able to pass through just slowly. "We're just making it known that we're here to make a stand. Enough is enough."

Janzen estimated there were over 100 vehicles in the convoy that included cars, farm tractors, and semis. The convoy started at 3 a.m. Monday morning.

"It's not the matter of being vaxxed or unvaxxed," said Janzen. "It's a matter of having a choice to not or do it, right? The freedom is gone. Quebec is taxing or fining people, right? (Prime Minister) Trudeau stated that this is what's gonna happen, right? Well, whatever happened to freedom of choice? This is what this is about. Freedom of choice. The choice is gone, right? We don't have that anymore."

Last week, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced the province planned to implement a health tax on Quebecers who don't get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks.

Though the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) declined our request for an interview, it did confirm the protest has had no effect on CBSA operations.

In addition, the release noted CBSA continuously monitors its operations and is ready to respond with the police of local jurisdiction if necessary, to any protests impeding the flow of traffic to and from Canada. CBSA Ports of Entry are secure controlled areas that must not be accessed by anyone other than those in the process of crossing the border. It is an offence under the Customs Act to hinder the ability of border services officers to conduct their work.

The Agency says it is always monitoring changes in demand for service and adjusts its operational posture at the border accordingly. The CBSA says it is prepared to allocate resources and adjust staffing levels to minimize processing times and potential delays at our ports of entry. Wait times at select land ports of entry are available on CBSA's website.

Janzen is organizing another slow roll through Winnipeg set for January 24.

Provencher MP Ted Falk attended the protest and shared the following video.

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Written by Robyn Wiebe