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There are too many people making making similar comments to reply to all of them, so I'm going to make a top level response to all of them. The truckers are NO

There are too many people making making similar comments to reply to all of them, so I'm going to make a top level response to all of them. The truckers are NOT protesting against the vaccine itself, and if you believe that they are, I would highly encourage you to find different sources for news. The truckers are protesting the idea that the government can force them to take the vaccine against their will. I would hope that people could find some more common ground on this, since there is an almost identical debate happening around the idea of bodily autonomy: Almost nobody, or functionally/practically nobody, is "pro abortion". People who are "pro choice" are saying that they don't believe the government should be able to force women to carry a child until birth, because they believe it violates their right to bodily autonomy. The truckers are saying the same thing. They aren't "anti vaccine", they are against the government forcing them to take a vaccine, because they believe it violates their right to bodily autonomy.

foolinaround 5y ago
and here is the australian govt absolving themselves of any bad effects of the vaccine after having forced their citizens to take it. These give even more ammunition to the skeptics. https://nitter.net/ChickenGate/status/1492673621344632835#m https://nitter.net/ChickenGate/status/1492673621344632835#m
- sherry-sherry 5y ago
  That's pretty standard for the current Australian government to absolving themselves of any responsibility whatsoever. That's kind of ~~what~~ all they do.
JamisonM 5y ago
Their stated demands are the dissolution of the current democratically elected government, they've conducted educational seminars about the dangers of vaccination full of outlandishly false information. Anyone can believe anything they like but none are required to be so credulous as to believe that the protests are simply about vaccine mandates given the large quantity of published evidence that the organizers and participants have a bevy of other agendas they would like to promote.
- _3u10 5y ago
  This is Canada. Those powers are powers of the MPs. It is a justified action that happens numerous times in Canada, predominantly during minority governments, which is what Trudeau has.
- rayiner 5y ago
  > Their stated demands are the dissolution of the current democratically elected government “Dissolution of the government” has innocuous meaning in a parliamentary system, where “the government” refers to the executive authority of the current party or coalition in power in parliament: https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/what-is-dissolution-of-parliament https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/what-is-dissolutio.... It’s about as dramatic as a recall election in certain American states. Maybe even less so because dissolution of the government technically happens after every Parliamentary election You’re deliberately using unfamiliarity with the term to suggest the truckers are calling for overthrow of the governing institutions of the country—what Americans mean when they refer to “the government.”
  - JamisonM 5y ago
    I am not deliberately using unfamiliarity with the term to suggest the truckers are calling for overthrow of the governing institutions of the country - they are in fact calling for exactly that, they published an MOU that didn't call for the government to resign but rather called for the Governor General and the Senate to declare the parliament illegitimate. I was being overly generous in my language by implying that they were just calling for the government to voluntarily resign when in fact they are asking for a non-constitutional coup. I was trying to err on the side of being too fair to their position.
    - rayiner 5y ago
      I’ve had family members killed in an attempted coup. Coups involve people with guns. Asking existing government institutions to draw on their reserve powers is not a “coup.” Both the Canadian Senate and the Governor General are, in principle, there to be a check on the House of Commons. Even if asking them to override the actions of the Trudeau government in this context isn’t legally viable, that doesn’t make it an attempt to “overthrow” the government. In the US, our Supreme Court exercises sweeping powers to strike down acts of Congress based on perceived individual rights. That’s not an “overthrow” of the government.
sherry-sherry 5y ago
Abortion is not in any way comparable with this issue. Do not try and force some 'common ground' argument where is isn't one.
- cato_the_elder 5y ago
  I kinda agree, though probably from a different prospective than you. In the case of abortion, the right of the fetus to its life should be balanced with the bodily autonomy of the mother. You can make a much stronger argument against mandatory Covid vaccination, since it is mostly about an adult making decisions about their own health.
- COGlory 5y ago
  Agreed. The anti-abortion argument claims that bodily autonomy should be violated because not doing so supposedly results in the direct death of a defenseless child. The pro-vax mandate argument claims that bodily autonomy should be violated because it supposedly prevents a 0.05% chance of death of an innocent person. (usually adult)
  - cato_the_elder 5y ago
    :-) I just noticed that we posted almost the same thing, at almost the same time.
- sul_tasto 5y ago
  It seems to me both pro-choice advocates and Canadian truckers are saying, “Get your laws off my body.” The idea that a person belongs to herself or himself is fundamental to both arguments.
  - bearjaws 5y ago
    Someones choice to get an abortion doesn't give someone a potentially fatal disease. Someones choice to not get vaccinated HAS led to significant deaths at this point. Via overloaded health systems, spreading the disease and of course, the much higher likelihood of death for those who are unvaccinated. Drawing a parallel to abortion is absurd.
abletonlive 5y ago
Well then the truckers are idiots, because nobody is forcing them to get the vaccine. They must if they want to cross the border. So just don't cross the border and step aside for someone else who will.
selfportrait 5y ago
> I would highly encourage you to find different sources for news. I’d be curious to know the type of apolitical source of news you consume, considering the flat out incorrect claims in your post.
- xanaxagoras 5y ago
  Which claims are flat out incorrect?
morpheos137 5y ago
Bodily autonomy is important but everybody dies and worms crawl through their bones and then whether they took to the stupid vaccine or not or wore the stupid mask or not does not matter. They can't resist the worms. The worst effect of the covid pandemic has been whipping up opposing mass hysterias. Both sides are wrong. Take the shot or don't if you want to. Suffer or enjoy the consequences of your decision. Nothing in life is justified now. Nothing in life was justified ever. Nothing in life needs to be justified. The whole universe doesn't even need to exist. Instead there could just be nothing. But we worry about our stupid vaccine fears and mask fears while the feral human is increasingly domesticated into docile livestock.
mrtksn 5y ago
- version_five 5y ago
  Maybe there is a better place to reply to this sentiment (which I find very difficult to believe is genuine) but threatening people with their livelihoods and their participation in society is just as much "forcing" as threatening with violence. We're a first world country, don't pretend forcing someone means holding a physical gun to their head
  - mrtksn 5y ago
    So they are not trying to vaccinate them against their will but it’s more like the driver’s license thingy, i.e. you can’t drive on public roads if you don’t have a license? If that’s the case why isn’t worded like that?
    - gruez 5y ago
      If you earn below a certain amount income and don't buy and taxed goods, then you're not paying any taxes. Given this, can you say the government isn't confiscating people's money "against their will", because you can theoretically avoid it by staying under the income tax limit and only buying tax-exempt items?
      - mrtksn 5y ago
        Of course I can, as long as the taxes collected are according to the law, that’s not confiscation. That’s payment you make to the corporation that provides certain services. The best part? You have direct say in how much it should be collected or not collected. But the wording choices makes me think that this is not about what it is claimed to be. That start sounding like libertarian agenda pushing, which is fine but it’s very manipulative.
        gruez 5y ago
version_five 5y ago
I think at some level most people know this, certainly Trudeau. But it's much easier to get what you want by pushing the narrative that these are racist, conspiracy theorists who think that vaccines have microchips or whatever other stuff gullible canadians actually believe people think. In my province, we have to show our "vaccine pass" to go to the liquor store, the hardware store, I don't know what else, I dont go to stores anymore (I have all 3 vaccine shots). We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and that has just emboldened "leaders" to push even tighter restrictions. The protests are about the horrible place our country has become, they have nothing to do with belief or disbelief in vaccines as a concept. And I have to add, if there was ever a vaccine to disbelieve in, it is this one, I mean honestly, it "prevents severe infection" - sure, is that justification for state compelled vaccination?
- pm90 5y ago
  > And I have to add, if there was ever a vaccine to disbelieve in, it is this one, I mean honestly, it "prevents severe infection" - sure, is that justification for state compelled vaccination? Yes it is.
  - xanaxagoras 5y ago
    That's an interesting argument, I hadn't thought of it that way before.
  - oehpr 5y ago
    God. Even more than this. "Why should people, who's profession is driving around transporting goods intercity and internationally, be required to get vaccinated?" I wonder I wonder what the reason could be. Wow what a pickle. Well I just can't figure this puzzle out.
- YZF 5y ago
  At least some were flying confederate flags... Well, in my province it's not a problem. There you prove point #1, this is not a federal issue. What province are you in? In my province leaders aren't pushing tighter restrictions. It doesn't matter what your grievances are, you don't get to park your truck in the middle of the street and break the law. Not in this country. Whether they "right" or "wrong" doesn't even factor into this. I think, and so has most of the population during this pandemic, that Canada did a great job balancing public health with the needs of individuals. Ofcourse this varies province to province but as a whole. Better than many other places. There is no "state compelled vaccination". The right to cross the border while not being subject to any restriction is not a god given right. But you don't want to get vaccinated, great, don't drive your truck across the border. For most of the pandemic truckers were allowed freely across the border while others (like me) were not with no quarantine or vaccine requirements. As Delta rose to dominance the rules changed (the change happened Nov 18th, 2021!). I wouldn't even rule out state compelled vaccinations for all under some scenarios.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bregma 5y ago
This is simply not true. The truckers are and have always been free to choose not to be vaccinated (or, as their leaders put it, be subject to medical experiments). By choosing not to take the vaccine they are shunned from participating in activities in which they would put the general public at greater risk of more severe forms of the disease. They have the freedom; what they want is to not suffer the consequences of exercising that freedom. To emphasize their demands to not experience the consequences of their decisions they have driven thousands of miles to a larger city (population of Ottawa-Gatineau is about 1.5 million) and proceeded to reign anarchy and lawlessness on the innocent denizens of that location and call for inappropriate physical interactions with the prime minster who has no jurisdiction of provincial health matters but is hated and despised by this group not because of what he had said or done but just because of who he is. Those brutes are just selfish and infantile. They have spent 3 weeks invading and partying in someone else's home. They have a right to protest without fear of government repercussions, but their actions overstepped the bounds of protest appropriate to their legitimate complaint long ago and has veered into lawlessness for the sake of lawlessness. They are no different than a grade-school bully trying to get everyone's lunch money in the playground. What these mothertruckers should do is just say sorry and go home. It's time.
maronato 5y ago
To live in a society we must agree to a social contract in which personal freedoms may be limited if that benefits society as a whole. That's why we pay taxes, have laws, and respect each other. Here, it's important to understand that vaccines do much more than protect a singe trucker from getting sick. It makes the population more resistant to the disease and lowers the infection rate. Low infection rates keep people who really can't be vaccinated safer. And, perhaps most importantly, it lowers the chance of dangerous mutations from developing and being selected. Truckers that refuse to vaccinate are making a choice that affects all of us. It's not up to them to allow the pandemic to continue forever. With all of that said, I hope that it's also clear why we can't compare the decision to not get vaccinated with the choice of getting an abortion.
eloisius 5y ago
I'm vaccinated, and I think almost everyone should take a vaccine. I don't sympathize with the protesters' beliefs, or even their methods. But, I am terrified by the glee that some people seem to express in the government using unlimited power to shut these protests down. I keep seeing variations of - These aren't peaceful protests, they're an occupation by a fringe group - You're allowed to protest, but not have an impact on the economy - You're allowed to protest, but not block critical infrastructure - An as of yet unattributed violent act was committed during the midst of the protests, therefore they are not peaceful protests, they are violent extremists I sympathize with people living in Ottawa, it must be loud, frightening, and angering to be occupied by an unruly protest. I don't want to make a comparison to other protest movements of recent memory and how they were handled. Demonstrations are always unpleasant and inconvenient for bystanders, that's almost the entire point. Do we want demonstrations contained by free speech zones as were so controversial during the 2000s? If we can freeze bank accounts of demonstrators participating in protests that are deemed illegal, what else can we do? Should the government force Apple and Google to lock people out of their phones because they are using them to coordinate illegal protests? Lock them out of email and social media? Ban businesses in general from serving them? I don't believe the government would go that far, but how far do we want them to go? Freezing bank accounts is too far for me. Try to remember that the government rarely yields back powers we give them, but they do change hands. What we see here today will be used against movements you support. Maybe next year.
canadian-on-hn 5y ago
This argument is fallacious and also worded extremely disingenuously. 1) The "Common Denominator Fallacy" accepts both of an argument or position on the grounds that both sides share at least some common assumptions. In this case, you're attempting to draw common ground between the issues of bodily autonomy involved in abortion, and the protester's views of bodily autonomy w.r.t. vaccine mandates. This is incorrect; someone having an abortion or not fundamentally only affects that person; it does not cause someone else to get sick or die. Not being vaccinated, in some circumstances, does. I don't support mandatory vaccination for all jobs (e.g. cutting down trees outside can be done just fine if you're not vaccinated), but part of living in a society is accepting certain restrictions on oneself to support the common good. The argument being made by the Canadian government is that vaccine mandates are such a restriction. 2) Nobody is "forcing" anyone to take a vaccine. People may choose to not be vaccinated, but if they make that choice, then they must live with the outcomes of that choice. In this case, truckers are perfectly capable of choosing not to be vaccinated, but the outcome of that choice is not being allowed to cross borders. Not "lose their job" - just live with certain restrictions on their behaviour as a result of their choice. (Side note: owners of trucking companies may choose to terminate an employee for not being able to drive to the USA if that's a job requirement, but that's at the discretion of the company and is not mandated by the government. They could, for example, also choose to retask unvaccinated employees to drive routes that are not subject to mandates.)

foolinaround 5y ago

and here is the australian govt absolving themselves of any bad effects of the vaccine after having forced their citizens to take it. These give even more ammunition to the skeptics. https://nitter.net/ChickenGate/status/1492673621344632835#m https://nitter.net/ChickenGate/status/1492673621344632835#m

sherry-sherry 5y ago
That's pretty standard for the current Australian government to absolving themselves of any responsibility whatsoever. That's kind of ~~what~~ all they do.

JamisonM 5y ago

Their stated demands are the dissolution of the current democratically elected government, they've conducted educational seminars about the dangers of vaccination full of outlandishly false information. Anyone can believe anything they like but none are required to be so credulous as to believe that the protests are simply about vaccine mandates given the large quantity of published evidence that the organizers and participants have a bevy of other agendas they would like to promote.

_3u10 5y ago
This is Canada. Those powers are powers of the MPs. It is a justified action that happens numerous times in Canada, predominantly during minority governments, which is what Trudeau has.
rayiner 5y ago
> Their stated demands are the dissolution of the current democratically elected government “Dissolution of the government” has innocuous meaning in a parliamentary system, where “the government” refers to the executive authority of the current party or coalition in power in parliament: https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/what-is-dissolution-of-parliament https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/what-is-dissolutio.... It’s about as dramatic as a recall election in certain American states. Maybe even less so because dissolution of the government technically happens after every Parliamentary election You’re deliberately using unfamiliarity with the term to suggest the truckers are calling for overthrow of the governing institutions of the country—what Americans mean when they refer to “the government.”
- JamisonM 5y ago
  I am not deliberately using unfamiliarity with the term to suggest the truckers are calling for overthrow of the governing institutions of the country - they are in fact calling for exactly that, they published an MOU that didn't call for the government to resign but rather called for the Governor General and the Senate to declare the parliament illegitimate. I was being overly generous in my language by implying that they were just calling for the government to voluntarily resign when in fact they are asking for a non-constitutional coup. I was trying to err on the side of being too fair to their position.
  - rayiner 5y ago
    I’ve had family members killed in an attempted coup. Coups involve people with guns. Asking existing government institutions to draw on their reserve powers is not a “coup.” Both the Canadian Senate and the Governor General are, in principle, there to be a check on the House of Commons. Even if asking them to override the actions of the Trudeau government in this context isn’t legally viable, that doesn’t make it an attempt to “overthrow” the government. In the US, our Supreme Court exercises sweeping powers to strike down acts of Congress based on perceived individual rights. That’s not an “overthrow” of the government.

sherry-sherry 5y ago

Abortion is not in any way comparable with this issue. Do not try and force some 'common ground' argument where is isn't one.

cato_the_elder 5y ago
I kinda agree, though probably from a different prospective than you. In the case of abortion, the right of the fetus to its life should be balanced with the bodily autonomy of the mother. You can make a much stronger argument against mandatory Covid vaccination, since it is mostly about an adult making decisions about their own health.
COGlory 5y ago
Agreed. The anti-abortion argument claims that bodily autonomy should be violated because not doing so supposedly results in the direct death of a defenseless child. The pro-vax mandate argument claims that bodily autonomy should be violated because it supposedly prevents a 0.05% chance of death of an innocent person. (usually adult)
- cato_the_elder 5y ago
  :-) I just noticed that we posted almost the same thing, at almost the same time.
sul_tasto 5y ago
It seems to me both pro-choice advocates and Canadian truckers are saying, “Get your laws off my body.” The idea that a person belongs to herself or himself is fundamental to both arguments.
- bearjaws 5y ago
  Someones choice to get an abortion doesn't give someone a potentially fatal disease. Someones choice to not get vaccinated HAS led to significant deaths at this point. Via overloaded health systems, spreading the disease and of course, the much higher likelihood of death for those who are unvaccinated. Drawing a parallel to abortion is absurd.

abletonlive 5y ago

Well then the truckers are idiots, because nobody is forcing them to get the vaccine. They must if they want to cross the border. So just don't cross the border and step aside for someone else who will.

selfportrait 5y ago

> I would highly encourage you to find different sources for news. I’d be curious to know the type of apolitical source of news you consume, considering the flat out incorrect claims in your post.

xanaxagoras 5y ago
Which claims are flat out incorrect?

morpheos137 5y ago

Bodily autonomy is important but everybody dies and worms crawl through their bones and then whether they took to the stupid vaccine or not or wore the stupid mask or not does not matter. They can't resist the worms. The worst effect of the covid pandemic has been whipping up opposing mass hysterias. Both sides are wrong. Take the shot or don't if you want to. Suffer or enjoy the consequences of your decision. Nothing in life is justified now. Nothing in life was justified ever. Nothing in life needs to be justified. The whole universe doesn't even need to exist. Instead there could just be nothing. But we worry about our stupid vaccine fears and mask fears while the feral human is increasingly domesticated into docile livestock.

mrtksn 5y ago

version_five 5y ago
Maybe there is a better place to reply to this sentiment (which I find very difficult to believe is genuine) but threatening people with their livelihoods and their participation in society is just as much "forcing" as threatening with violence. We're a first world country, don't pretend forcing someone means holding a physical gun to their head
- mrtksn 5y ago
  So they are not trying to vaccinate them against their will but it’s more like the driver’s license thingy, i.e. you can’t drive on public roads if you don’t have a license? If that’s the case why isn’t worded like that?
  - gruez 5y ago
    If you earn below a certain amount income and don't buy and taxed goods, then you're not paying any taxes. Given this, can you say the government isn't confiscating people's money "against their will", because you can theoretically avoid it by staying under the income tax limit and only buying tax-exempt items?
    - mrtksn 5y ago
      Of course I can, as long as the taxes collected are according to the law, that’s not confiscation. That’s payment you make to the corporation that provides certain services. The best part? You have direct say in how much it should be collected or not collected. But the wording choices makes me think that this is not about what it is claimed to be. That start sounding like libertarian agenda pushing, which is fine but it’s very manipulative.
      - gruez 5y ago

version_five 5y ago

I think at some level most people know this, certainly Trudeau. But it's much easier to get what you want by pushing the narrative that these are racist, conspiracy theorists who think that vaccines have microchips or whatever other stuff gullible canadians actually believe people think. In my province, we have to show our "vaccine pass" to go to the liquor store, the hardware store, I don't know what else, I dont go to stores anymore (I have all 3 vaccine shots). We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and that has just emboldened "leaders" to push even tighter restrictions. The protests are about the horrible place our country has become, they have nothing to do with belief or disbelief in vaccines as a concept. And I have to add, if there was ever a vaccine to disbelieve in, it is this one, I mean honestly, it "prevents severe infection" - sure, is that justification for state compelled vaccination?

pm90 5y ago
> And I have to add, if there was ever a vaccine to disbelieve in, it is this one, I mean honestly, it "prevents severe infection" - sure, is that justification for state compelled vaccination? Yes it is.
- xanaxagoras 5y ago
  That's an interesting argument, I hadn't thought of it that way before.
- oehpr 5y ago
  God. Even more than this. "Why should people, who's profession is driving around transporting goods intercity and internationally, be required to get vaccinated?" I wonder I wonder what the reason could be. Wow what a pickle. Well I just can't figure this puzzle out.
YZF 5y ago
At least some were flying confederate flags... Well, in my province it's not a problem. There you prove point #1, this is not a federal issue. What province are you in? In my province leaders aren't pushing tighter restrictions. It doesn't matter what your grievances are, you don't get to park your truck in the middle of the street and break the law. Not in this country. Whether they "right" or "wrong" doesn't even factor into this. I think, and so has most of the population during this pandemic, that Canada did a great job balancing public health with the needs of individuals. Ofcourse this varies province to province but as a whole. Better than many other places. There is no "state compelled vaccination". The right to cross the border while not being subject to any restriction is not a god given right. But you don't want to get vaccinated, great, don't drive your truck across the border. For most of the pandemic truckers were allowed freely across the border while others (like me) were not with no quarantine or vaccine requirements. As Delta rose to dominance the rules changed (the change happened Nov 18th, 2021!). I wouldn't even rule out state compelled vaccinations for all under some scenarios.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

bregma 5y ago

This is simply not true. The truckers are and have always been free to choose not to be vaccinated (or, as their leaders put it, be subject to medical experiments). By choosing not to take the vaccine they are shunned from participating in activities in which they would put the general public at greater risk of more severe forms of the disease. They have the freedom; what they want is to not suffer the consequences of exercising that freedom. To emphasize their demands to not experience the consequences of their decisions they have driven thousands of miles to a larger city (population of Ottawa-Gatineau is about 1.5 million) and proceeded to reign anarchy and lawlessness on the innocent denizens of that location and call for inappropriate physical interactions with the prime minster who has no jurisdiction of provincial health matters but is hated and despised by this group not because of what he had said or done but just because of who he is. Those brutes are just selfish and infantile. They have spent 3 weeks invading and partying in someone else's home. They have a right to protest without fear of government repercussions, but their actions overstepped the bounds of protest appropriate to their legitimate complaint long ago and has veered into lawlessness for the sake of lawlessness. They are no different than a grade-school bully trying to get everyone's lunch money in the playground. What these mothertruckers should do is just say sorry and go home. It's time.

maronato 5y ago

To live in a society we must agree to a social contract in which personal freedoms may be limited if that benefits society as a whole. That's why we pay taxes, have laws, and respect each other. Here, it's important to understand that vaccines do much more than protect a singe trucker from getting sick. It makes the population more resistant to the disease and lowers the infection rate. Low infection rates keep people who really can't be vaccinated safer. And, perhaps most importantly, it lowers the chance of dangerous mutations from developing and being selected. Truckers that refuse to vaccinate are making a choice that affects all of us. It's not up to them to allow the pandemic to continue forever. With all of that said, I hope that it's also clear why we can't compare the decision to not get vaccinated with the choice of getting an abortion.

eloisius 5y ago

I'm vaccinated, and I think almost everyone should take a vaccine. I don't sympathize with the protesters' beliefs, or even their methods. But, I am terrified by the glee that some people seem to express in the government using unlimited power to shut these protests down. I keep seeing variations of - These aren't peaceful protests, they're an occupation by a fringe group - You're allowed to protest, but not have an impact on the economy - You're allowed to protest, but not block critical infrastructure - An as of yet unattributed violent act was committed during the midst of the protests, therefore they are not peaceful protests, they are violent extremists I sympathize with people living in Ottawa, it must be loud, frightening, and angering to be occupied by an unruly protest. I don't want to make a comparison to other protest movements of recent memory and how they were handled. Demonstrations are always unpleasant and inconvenient for bystanders, that's almost the entire point. Do we want demonstrations contained by free speech zones as were so controversial during the 2000s? If we can freeze bank accounts of demonstrators participating in protests that are deemed illegal, what else can we do? Should the government force Apple and Google to lock people out of their phones because they are using them to coordinate illegal protests? Lock them out of email and social media? Ban businesses in general from serving them? I don't believe the government would go that far, but how far do we want them to go? Freezing bank accounts is too far for me. Try to remember that the government rarely yields back powers we give them, but they do change hands. What we see here today will be used against movements you support. Maybe next year.

canadian-on-hn 5y ago

This argument is fallacious and also worded extremely disingenuously. 1) The "Common Denominator Fallacy" accepts both of an argument or position on the grounds that both sides share at least some common assumptions. In this case, you're attempting to draw common ground between the issues of bodily autonomy involved in abortion, and the protester's views of bodily autonomy w.r.t. vaccine mandates. This is incorrect; someone having an abortion or not fundamentally only affects that person; it does not cause someone else to get sick or die. Not being vaccinated, in some circumstances, does. I don't support mandatory vaccination for all jobs (e.g. cutting down trees outside can be done just fine if you're not vaccinated), but part of living in a society is accepting certain restrictions on oneself to support the common good. The argument being made by the Canadian government is that vaccine mandates are such a restriction. 2) Nobody is "forcing" anyone to take a vaccine. People may choose to not be vaccinated, but if they make that choice, then they must live with the outcomes of that choice. In this case, truckers are perfectly capable of choosing not to be vaccinated, but the outcome of that choice is not being allowed to cross borders. Not "lose their job" - just live with certain restrictions on their behaviour as a result of their choice. (Side note: owners of trucking companies may choose to terminate an employee for not being able to drive to the USA if that's a job requirement, but that's at the discretion of the company and is not mandated by the government. They could, for example, also choose to retask unvaccinated employees to drive routes that are not subject to mandates.)