Canada
Bangladesh reiterates call to Canada for deportation of killer Nur Chy
Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls has said she will convey to her government Bangladesh's request to deport Nur Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“The issue was raised (by Bangladesh) and we understand it’s an important issue for Bangladesh. I’ll convey this to my capital,” she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday afternoon after her meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen held at the latter's office.
Read:Bangladesh pushes for killer Nur Chy’s deportation from Canada
Bangladesh, being a time-tested partner of Canada, reiterated its long-standing request for the deportation of Bangabandhu's killer, Momen said.
While talking to reporters in the evening, Momen said he the envoy that Canada should not be a refuge for the murderers and urged the Canadian government to deport the killer.
“This killer has been living in Canada as a fugitive for close to thirty years. Canada being known as the proponent for promotion and protection of human rights, and rule of law, the two countries can work together to agree on some modalities for the deportation of this heinous killer and flagrant violator of human rights,” said Momen in a recent message.
Bangladesh pushes for killer Nur Chy’s deportation from Canada
Bangladesh has reiterated its long-standing request for the deportation of Nur Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“This killer has been living in Canada as a fugitive for close to thirty years. Canada, being known as the proponent for promotion and protection of human rights, and the rule of law, the two countries can work together to agree on some modalities for the deportation of this heinous killer and flagrant violator of human rights,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
The Foreign Minister made the request in a message marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Canada. Bangladesh and Canada established diplomatic relations on February 14, 1972.
He expressed the hope and optimism that the existing excellent relations and partnership between Bangladesh and Canada will continue to flourish. “The two countries would work closely to take them to new heights in the spirit of mutual interest, friendship, and respect.”
Dr Momen said Bangladesh looks forward to closer cooperation and partnership with Canada in defence and security issues, including elimination of any kind of extremism.
Also raed: Joint committee to work to brand Bangladesh in Canada
“Bangladesh is also committed to deepening and expanding the trade and investment relations with Canada and would work closely for the steady growth in this sector,” he mentioned.
“As we celebrate 50 years, Canada looks forward to building on our solid foundation of friendship and cooperation to strengthen and diversify our partnership,” said the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka in a separate message.
The Foreign Minister said they deeply appreciate Canada's support to the issues of the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs).
“Bangladesh expects Canada playing a more active role in ensuring that the perpetrators of genocide and crime against humanity in Rakhine State of Myanmar are brought to justice and a conducive environment in Rakhine State in Myanmar is created for a safe and dignified return of more than 1.1 million FDMNs (Rohingyas) from Bangladesh as soon as possible,” he said.
Dr Momen recalled the support of the Canadian people and the then Canadian government led by the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, extended to the glorious War of Independence.
Canada was also one of the first few countries to recognise Bangladesh immediately after its independence.
Alo read: Bangladesh, Canada plan to launch JWG to boost trade, investment
“I would like to recall that the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau laid down the foundation of friendship between the two countries based on shared commitment to peace, pluralism, and dignity of people,” said the Foreign Minister.
The first official visit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Ottawa, Canada in 1973 ushered a new horizon of friendship and bonding for the people of the two countries, he said.
Since then, Dr Momen said, the partnership has been steadily growing. “I also like to recognize Canada's valuable support to Bangladesh's membership in the Commonwealth and the United Nations after the Independence.”
Dr Momen thanked Canada for its assistance in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Bangladesh following the recognition and valuable support in the field of socio-economic development for the development of youth and women's economic empowerment.
He said Bangladesh has graduated now as a middle-income country and the country is known as a "Development Miracle".
“In our journey through this tremendous socio-economic development under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Canadian support has also played a useful part. Today, Canada is Bangladesh's important development partner and a trusted and tested friend,” Dr Momen mentioned.
He said Bangladesh is working closely with Canada on several important global issues, including climate change, promoting global peace and security and many others.
“We thank Canada for its appreciation for Bangladesh's contribution to the UN Peacekeeping operation,” he said.
Key US-Canada bridge reopens after police clear protesters
The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week, while Canadian officials held back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa.
Detroit International Bridge Co. said in a statement that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again.” Esther Jentzen, spokeswoman for the company, said in a later text to The Associated Press that the bridge reopened to traffic at 11 p.m. EST.
The crossing normally carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and the blockade on the Canadian side had disrupted business in both countries, with automakers forced to shut down several assembly plants.
Police in Windsor, Ontario, said earlier in the day that more than two dozen people had been peacefully arrested, seven vehicles towed and five seized as officers cleared the last demonstrators from near the bridge, which links the city — and numerous Canadian automotive plants — with Detroit.
The protest in Ottawa, meanwhile, has paralyzed downtown, infuriated residents who are fed up with police inaction and turned up pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who presided at a Cabinet meeting late Sunday.
The demonstrations have reverberated across Canada and beyond, with similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys may be in the works in the United States.
Youtube video thumbnailThe Ambassador Bridge had remained closed for most of the day despite the break up of the protest as a heavy snowstorm blanketed the area. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens had said the span would open once authorities determined it was safe to do so.
Canada’s industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, welcomed the development, saying on Twitter: “Good news. Glad to see that the Ambassador Bridge is now reopened.”
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday acknowledged the seemingly peaceful resolution to the demonstration, which it said had “widespread damaging impacts” on the “lives and livelihoods of people” on both sides of the border.
“We stand ready to support our Canadian partners wherever useful in order to ensure the restoration of the normal free flow of commerce can resume,” Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall said in a statement.
In Ottawa, which is about 500 miles northeast of Windsor, Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday the city struck a deal with protesters who have jammed downtown streets for more than two weeks that will see them move out of residential areas in the next 24 hours.
Watson said he agreed to meet with demonstrators if they confined their protest to an area around Parliament Hill and moved their trucks and other vehicles out of residential neighborhoods by noon Monday.
The mayor shared a letter from one of the protest’s organizers, Tamara Lich, in which she said demonstrators “agree with your request” to focus activities at Parliament Hill. But Lich later denied there was an agreement, saying in a tweet: “No deal has been made. End the mandates, end the passports. That is why we are here.”
Watson added in his letter to protesters that residents are “exhausted″ and “on edge” due to the demonstrations and warns that some businesses are teetering on the brink of permanent closure because of the disruptions.
The ranks of protesters had swelled to what police said were 4,000 demonstrators by Saturday, and a counter-protest of frustrated Ottawa residents attempting to block the convoy of trucks from entering the downtown emerged Sunday.
Clayton Goodwin, a 45-year-old military veteran who was among the counter-protesters, said it was time for residents to stand up against the protesters.
“I’m horrified that other veterans would be down there co-opting my flag, co-opting my service,” said Goodwin, who is the CEO of the Veterans Accountability Commission, a nonprofit advocacy group. “It’s a grift. The city was free. We’re 92% vaccinated. We’re ready to support our businesses.”
Colleen Sinclair, another counter-protester, said the demonstrators have had enough time to have their discontent heard and need to move on -- with police force, if it comes down to it.
Read: US, Japan, South Korea meet in Hawaii to discuss North Korea
“They’re occupiers. People are scared to go to work, too scared to leave their homes,” she said. “This is not how you get your voice heard. This is domestic terrorism and we want you out of our city. Go home.”
The city has seen similar expansions of the protest on past weekends, and loud music played as people milled about downtown where anti-vaccine demonstrators have been encamped since late January, to the frustration of local residents.
“It just feels like I’m living in a different country, like I’m in the States,” said Shannon Thomas, a 32-year-old teacher. “It just makes me really sad to see all these people waving Canadian flags and acting like patriots when it’s really the most sad and embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen.”
Trudeau has so far rejected calls to use the military, but had said that “all options are on the table” to end the protests. Trudeau has called the protesters a “fringe” of Canadian society. Both federal and provincial politicians have said they can’t order police what to do.
Major-General Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, said Sunday that two of his special forces soldiers were supporting the protests in Ottawa and were in the “process of being released” from service. Boivin said the activity goes against the military’s values and ethics.
On Friday, a judge ordered an end to the blockade at the crossing in Windsor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure.
Partial closures at the bridge started on Feb. 7 and by midweek the disruption was so severe that automakers began shutting down or reducing production. The standoff came at a time when the industry is already struggling to maintain production in the face of pandemic-induced shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain disruptions.
“We are protesting the government taking away our rights,” said Windsor resident Eunice Lucas-Logan. “We want the restrictions removed. We have to wait to find out.”
The 67-year-old has been out supporting the protest for the past four days. She said she appreciated that police have been patient.
On the other side of the country, a major truck border crossing between Surrey, British Columbia, and Blaine, Washington, was closed Sunday, a day after Canadian authorities said a few vehicles had breached police barricades and a crowd entered the area by foot.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Sunday afternoon four people had been arrested for “mischief” during the protest. Some people who stayed overnight had packed up and left, but the border crossing and roads in the area remained closed.
A border blockade that began in Coutts, Alberta, north of Sweet Grass, Montana, on Jan. 29 remained in place as well. Police issued more than 50 traffic tickets Saturday and continued issuing them Sunday, RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said.
Officers also intercepted and disabled three excavators that were being brought to the protest, Savinkoff said.
“Had those made their way to the blockade, it would only have compounded the unfortunate situation we’re facing at the border,” he said.
While the protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions, many of Canada’s public health measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already falling away as the omicron surge levels off.
About 90% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated, and trucker associations and many big-rig operators have denounced the protests. The U.S. has the same vaccination rule for truckers crossing the border, so it would make little difference if Trudeau lifted the restriction.
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter there than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.
Meanwhile, Biden, in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Sunday ahead of the Super Bowl, struck a critical tone when asked about those likely to object to the mask mandate at the NFL championship game.
“I love how people talk about personal freedom,” he said. “If you’re exercising personal freedom, but you put someone else in jeopardy, their health in jeopardy, I don’t consider that being very good with freedom.”
COVID-19 truck blockade in Canada shuts down Ford plant
Truck blockades of Canada’s capital and U.S. border crossings, including the economically vital bridge to Detroit, forced the shutdown of a Ford plant and the company warned the protests could have widespread implications for the North American auto industry.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, stood firm against an easing of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions in the face of mounting pressure during recent weeks by protests against the restrictions and against Trudeau himself.
A blockade by people mostly in pickup trucks entered its third day at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Traffic was prevented from entering Canada, while U.S.-bound traffic was still moving.
The bridge carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and Canadian authorities expressed increasing worry about the economic effects.
Ford said late Wednesday that parts shortages forced it to shut down its engine plant in Windsor and to run an assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, on a reduced schedule.
READ: Protest strike shuts down Haiti amid search for missionaries
“This interruption on the Detroit-Windsor bridge hurts customers, auto workers, suppliers, communities and companies on both sides of the border,” Ford said in a statement. “We hope this situation is resolved quickly because it could have widespread impact on all automakers in the U.S. and Canada.”
Shortages due to the blockade also forced General Motors to cancel the second shift of the day at its midsize-SUV factory near Lansing, Michigan. Spokesman Dan Flores said it was expected to restart Thursday and now additional impact was expected for the time being.
Later Wednesday, Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said the company will not be able to manufacture anything at three Canadian plants for the rest of this week due to parts shortages. A company statement attributed the problem to supply chain, weather and pandemic-related challenges, but the shutdowns came just days after the blockade began Monday.
“Our teams are working diligently to minimize the impact on production,” the company said, adding that it doesn’t expect any layoffs at this time.
Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, reported normal operations Wednesday, although the company had to cut shifts short the previous day at its Windsor minivan plant.
A growing number of Canadian provinces have moved to lift some of their precautions as the omicron surge levels off, but Trudeau defended the measures the federal government is responsible for, including the one that has angered many truck drivers: a rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated.
“The reality is that vaccine mandates, and the fact that Canadians stepped up to get vaccinated to almost 90%, ensured that this pandemic didn’t hit as hard here in Canada as elsewhere in the world,” Trudeau said in Parliament.
Protesters have also been blocking the border crossing at Coutts, Alberta, for a week and a half, with about 50 trucks remaining there Wednesday. And more than 400 trucks have paralyzed downtown Ottawa, Canada’s capital, in a protest that began late last month.
While protesters have been calling for Trudeau’s removal, most of the restrictive measures around the country have been put in place by provincial governments. Those include requirements that people show proof-of-vaccination “passports” to enter restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and sporting events.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia announced plans this week to roll back some or all of their precautions. Alberta, Canada’s most conservative province, dropped its vaccine passport immediately and plans to get rid of mask requirements at the end of the month.
READ: Hoax bomb call shuts down India's Taj Mahal
Alberta opposition leader Rachel Notley accused the province’s premier, Jason Kenney, of allowing an “illegal blockade to dictate public health measures.”
Despite Alberta’s plans to scrap its measures, the protest there continued.
“We’ve got guys here — they’ve lost everything due to these mandates, and they’re not giving up, and they’re willing to stand their ground and keep going until this is done,” said protester John Vanreeuwyk, a feedlot operator from Coaldale, Alberta.
“Until Trudeau moves,” he said, “we don’t move.”
As for the Ambassador Bridge blockade, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said police had not removed people for fear of inflaming the situation. But he added: “We’re not going to let this happen for a prolonged period of time.”
The demonstration involved 50 to 74 vehicles and about 100 protesters, police said. Some of the protesters say they are willing to die for their cause, according to the mayor.
“I’ll be brutally honest: You are trying to have a rational conversation, and not everyone on the ground is a rational actor,” Dilkens said. “Police are doing what is right by taking a moderate approach, trying to sensibly work through this situation where everyone can walk away, nobody gets hurt, and the bridge can open.”
To avoid the blockade and get into Canada, truckers in the Detroit area had to drive 70 miles north to Port Huron, Michigan, and cross the Blue Water Bridge, where there was a 4½-hour delay leaving the U.S.
At a news conference in Ottawa that excluded mainstream news organizations, Benjamin Dichter, one of the protest organizers, said: “I think the government and the media are drastically underestimating the resolve and patience of truckers.”
“Drop the mandates. Drop the passports,” he said.
The “freedom truck convoy” has been promoted by Fox News personalities and attracted support from many U.S. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who called Trudeau a “far left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.”
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. Canada’s COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the U.S.
About 90% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated, and trucker associations and many big-rig operators have denounced the protests. The U.S. has the same vaccination rule for truckers entering the country, so it would make little difference if Trudeau lifted the restriction.
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in Parliament that countries around the world are removing restrictions and noted that Canadian provinces are, too. She accused Trudeau of wanting to live in a “permanent pandemic.”
“Many of the reasons that were previously to keep Canadians under restrictions are vanishing before our eyes,” she said. “The prime minister needs to put his ego aside. He needs to do what’s right for the country. He needs to end the mandates. He needs to end the restrictions.”
Ontario, Canada’s largest province with almost 40% of the country’s population, is sticking to what it calls a “very cautious” stance toward the pandemic, and the deputy premier said it has no plans to drop vaccine passports or mask requirements.
Ottawa declares state of emergency over COVID-19 protests
The mayor of Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency Sunday and a former U.S. ambassador to Canada said groups in the U.S. must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of America’s neighbor as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions continued to paralyze Ottawa’s downtown.
Mayor Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.
Thousands of protesters descended in Ottawa again on the weekend, joining a hundred who remained since last weekend. Residents of Ottawa are furious at the nonstop blaring of horns, traffic disruption and harassment and fear no end is in sight after the police chief called it a “siege” that he could not manage.
Read: Freedom Convoy: Truckers cause chaos in Ottawa after second day of protests
The “freedom truck convoy” has attracted support from many U.S. Republicans including former President Donald Trump, who called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “far left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.”
“Canada US relations used to be mainly about solving technical issues. Today Canada is unfortunately experiencing radical US politicians involving themselves in Canadian domestic issues. Trump and his followers are a threat not just to the US but to all democracies,” Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador under President Barack Obama, tweeted.
Heyman said “under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop.”
After crowdfunding site GoFundMe said it would refund or redirect to charities the vast majority of the millions raised by demonstrators protesting in the Canadian capital, prominent U.S. Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis complained.
But GoFundMe had already changed its mind and said it would be issuing refunds to all. The site said it cut off funding for the organizers because it had determined the effort violated the site’s terms of service due to unlawful activity.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called it an occupation.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon tweeted: “Patriotic Texans donated to Canadian truckers’ worthy cause.” and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said on Fox News “government doesn’t have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates.”
“For some senior American politicians, patriotism means renting a mob to put a G-7 capital under siege,” tweeted Gerald Butts, a former senior adviser to Trudeau.
Read: Thousands in Ottawa protest COVID mandates, many rebuked
In Canada’s largest city, Toronto, police controlled and later ended a much smaller protest by setting up road blocks and preventing any trucks or cars from getting near the provincial legislature. Police also moved in to clear a key intersection in the city.
Many Canadians have been outraged over the crude behavior of the demonstrators. Some protesters set fireworks off on the grounds of the National War Memorial late Friday. A number have carried signs and flags with swastikas last weekend and compared vaccine mandates to fascism.
Protesters have said they won’t leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau’s government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments.
Canadian police expect COVID-19 protests to ramp up again
Ontario’s Conservative premier called Friday for demonstrators to end the “occupation” of Ottawa, while police moved 150 officers to the parts of the capital most affected by the protest against vaccine mandates..
Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly gave no indication when the days-old protest would end, saying police expected it to ramp up again this weekend, when protests are also planned in Toronto and Quebec City.
“It’s not a protest anymore. It’s become an occupation,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “It’s time for this to come to an end.”
Ford said the province is very close to getting back to normal in the pandemic and protests are a constitutional right, but he said an occupation is unacceptable.
Sloly acknowledged “trust has been impacted” as Ottawa residents are furious with the blaring horns, traffic gridlock and harassment they have faced. Many complain police have done little and they call it an occupation.
Also read: Canada PM tests positive for Covid, rips anti vaccine demo
“If we knew that it was going to seep into the neighborhoods we would have deployed more resources into those neighborhoods,” deputy police chief Steve Bell said. “We’ve listened to our community. They are upset, they are fearful.”
Thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital last weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Police estimate about 250 remained, but Bell said they expected 300 to 400 more trucks this weekend and more than 1,000 protesters on foot. He said up to 1,000 counter-protesters were expected as well.
The “freedom truck convoy” has attracted support from former U.S. President Donald Trump and the opposition federal Conservative party in Canada, but two federal Conservative party lawmakers broke with the party and said the protest needed to end.
“I spent the week undergoing the Siege of Ottawa,” Conservative lawmaker Pierre Paul-Hus tweeted. “I ask that we clear the streets and that we stop this occupation controlled by radicals and anarchist groups.”
“I wholeheartedly and unreservedly deplore and denounce what is happening in Ottawa with the so-called Freedom Convoy right now. Let me be clear: If you wrap yourself in or go about waving a Nazi or Confederate flag, you are declaring yourself a person who embraces hate, bigotry, and racism,” Patterson said in a statement.
The Conservative party ousted its moderate party leader this week and the interim leader has voiced support for the protesters.
Also read: 6 provinces in Canada report new daily highs for coronavirus
Many Canadians were outraged after some protesters urinated and parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number carried signs and flags with swastikas.
Protesters have said they won’t leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau’s government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments.
Late Thursday, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had approved the mayor’s request for the national police force to support city police.
Organizers, including ones who have espoused racist and white supremacist views, had raised millions for the cross-country “freedom truck convoy” against vaccine mandates and other restrictions. Protests are planned for Toronto and Quebec City as well. Toronto police closed a street in front of the provincial legislature where major five hospitals are located.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a federation representing truckers across the country, has estimated that 85% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated. It opposes the protest.
Some of the demonstrators are protesting a rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The U.S. has the same rule for truckers entering the U.S. So if the Canadian government removed it, it would make no difference.
Freedom Convoy: Truckers cause chaos in Ottawa after second day of protests
Protesters against a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border have brought Canada's capital city to a standstill for a second day.
Thousands of demonstrators joined the so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, reports BBC.
Police have started investigations after several incidents, including the appearance of swastika flags and footage of a woman dancing on the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Read:Thousands in Ottawa protest COVID mandates, many rebuked
Defence Minister Anita Anand said the incidents were "beyond reprehensible".
Ottawa police said in a Twitter post that "several" investigations were now under way into the "desecration" of a number monuments in the capital city, as well as "threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals and damage to a city vehicle".
Elsewhere across the city, truckers blocked the streets around Canada's parliament building and Ottawa's Mayor Jim Watson said some protesters had harassed staff at a soup kitchen, demanding free meals after they were turned away by restaurants for their refusal to comply with indoor mask mandates.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family also left their home in Ottawa over safety concerns on Saturday.
Around 90% of Canada's 120,000 cross-border truckers are now vaccinated, in line with the country's adult population.
The demonstration has grown beyond a call to end the cross-border mandate to a push to an end to all vaccine mandates nationwide, and some demonstrators have pledged to continue their protests they are removed.
Mr Trudeau called the protesters "a small fringe minority" during a press conference earlier this week.
Read:Canada finds 4th body after British Columbia mudslide
Conservative leader Erin O'Toole has met some of the protesters and has spoken in favour of the right to peaceful demonstration, but criticised "individuals desecrating" memorials in Ottawa.
Mr Trudeau's Liberal government brought in the vaccine mandate on 15 January that would require unvaccinated Canadian truckers crossing the two nations' border to quarantine once they return home.
The US has also recently said that foreign truck drivers must show proof of vaccination to enter the country.
Joint committee to work to brand Bangladesh in Canada
Canada-Bangladesh Joint Working Group has planned to form a joint working committee of the two countries to brand Bangladesh in Canada for boosting both investment and trade.
The Group has decided to form the committee at a virtual meeting where nominated members of the governments of the two countries discussed the issue on Tuesday.
FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin and Cofounder and Vice Chairman of Consumer Health Nuzhat Tam-Zaman cochaired the meeting.
Read:FBCCI calls for extension of loan moratorium till June
The meeting discussed that with the development of the economy, new potentials for foreign investment have been created in Bangladesh.
It said Bangladesh is now one of the best investment destinations in the region due to its infrastructural facilities, huge domestic market and duty-free facilities in the major markets of the world. “But Canadian investors are not yet aware of this advantage.”
So, they decided to form a joint working committee.
The previous meeting of the Canada-Bangladesh Joint Working Group identified tourism, ICT, agriculture, agri-food, education, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy as potential sectors for collaboration.
FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin called for a new inclusion of the blue economy and plastics sector.
He said Canada is one of the best countries in the world in terms of ocean economy. The country has the expertise and knowledge to use its marine resources in a sustainable manner.
On the other hand, the FBCCI chief said Bangladesh has a 710-km long coastline with an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles inside the Bay of Bengal. But most of the resources are untapped.
“With Canadian investment, technical knowledge and assistance, Bangladesh's economy will move forward by utilizing its marine resources.”
He said the FBCCI would soon submit a sector-wise report on the blue economy, plastics and tourism to the working committee.
FBCCI Director Syed Almas Kabir will also submit a report on skills development and information technology at the next meeting.
The two sides agreed to strengthen interactions between industry associations to remove trade barriers and increase import-export between two countries.
At the meeting, the entrepreneurs talked about making Canada's Rules of Origin easier to increase exports of Bangladeshi products, while Canada has demanded an on-arrival visa facility in Bangladesh to facilitate trade and investment.
Read: FBCCI concerned over move to hike gas price
During the meeting, a study report on the prospects of Bangladesh’s leather, leather products, and footwear export sector in Canada was presented by Md Saiful Islam, Director of FBCCI and President of MCCI, Dhaka.
Chris Dekker, President, Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) presented another report on Bilateral Trade Enhancement.
The next meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held on February 7 this year.
Canada, US and allies talk aid for Haiti at meeting
Haiti’s spiraling insecurity and growing concerns about its ability to hold general elections following the killing of President Jovenel Moïse prompted two dozen international senior officials to meet Friday and agree to increase aid.
Canada, which hosted the more than three-hour-long meeting with representatives from countries including the U.S., France and Mexico as well as U.N. officials, pledged $39 million in aid while other countries promised to improve Haiti’s security situation so it could hold successful elections. They also committed to bolstering Haiti's National Police as violence spikes and gangs become more powerful, with more than 20,000 Haitians forced to live in unhygienic shelters amid the pandemic after losing their homes in recent months to gang turf battles.
“The increase in violence is only worsening the already precarious humanitarian situation,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the meeting, which was behind closed doors. “We must work together to restore stability, and to protect the safety and well-being of the Haitian people.”
READ: US religious group says Haitian gang releases 3 hostages
Representatives of 19 countries took part, including Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“In order to tackle insecurity, the partners agreed to strengthen their current and future support of the security sector, including the Haitian National Police, with a focus on respect for the rule of law, justice and human rights,” the office of Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement after the meeting.
Joly said all stakeholders in Haiti need to work together and “that without such an agreement, re-establishing security will remain a challenge, as will the holding of free and credible elections.”
Henry, Haiti’s prime minister, said he expects to have a provisional electoral council in place in upcoming days and has pledged to hold elections this year, although he has not provided a date. He thanked the international community for helping Haiti during “a particularly trying time” and noted that violence was considerably disrupting everyday life and isolating several cities and towns in the southern part of the country, cutting off much needed aid.
READ: US missionaries say 2 of 17 abductees freed in Haiti
“There is an urgent need to address these problems and find lasting solutions,” he tweeted during the meeting. “I am convinced that the root cause of such a situation lies mainly in the abject poverty in which a significant part of our population lives.”
Haiti is a country of 11 million inhabitants where about 60% earn less than $2 a day, and it is facing a deepening economic crisis, with inflation spiking and an estimated 4.4 million people at risk of hunger. It is also struggling to recover from the July 7 assassination of Moïse at his private residence and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck last August, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying or damaging some 137,500 homes.
Moïse’s killing complicated an already fragile political situation in Haiti.
He had been ruling by decree for more than a year after dissolving a majority of Parliament in January 2020 amid a delay in legislative elections that have yet to be held, with only 10 senators currently in power.
Opponents, meanwhile, claimed that Moïse’s own term should have ended in February 2021, while he insisted it should continue to Feb. 7 this year — the fifth anniversary of his inauguration, which had been delayed by controversy over his election.
Some worry Haiti’s instability will deepen in early February when the term of the slain president expires. Shortly before his death, Moïse had tapped Henry to serve as prime minister and many observers think that Henry’s term should end on Feb. 7 as well, though he is not expected to step aside on that date.
An official that attended the meeting said there was no discussion about possible foreign intervention or about the confidence that ministers might have in Henry’s ability to govern.
Many parts of Haitian civil society are calling for accords that would allow for a consensual leadership of the country while it waits to renew its institutions through elections — though various factions differ on what the accord should contain.
Jean Victor Généus, Haiti’s foreign affairs minister, met with reporters in Haiti after the meeting and praised the offers of help from the international community, saying that a stabilized Haiti also would attract investors.
U-19 World Cup: Big win for Bangladesh against Canada
Bangladesh have won their first match in the ongoing edition of the U-19 World Cup against Canada by eight wickets in Basseterre, the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Junior Tigers lost their openers against England at the same venue. They needed to win against Canada to keep their way to the next phase of the event alive.
Canada won the toss and opted to bat first in this match, and they were able to post only 136 runs losing all wickets in 44.3 overs.
READ: Mahmudullah eyes to have a pace-bowling all-rounder in BPL
The Canadian batters were unable to come up with resistance against Bangladesh bowlers SM Meherob, an off-spinner, and Ripon Mondol, a right-arm, medium-fast bowler. They took four wickets each, and Ashiqur Zaman took the other two wickets.
For Canada, Anoop Chima, the wicketkeeper-batter, scored 63 while only others were able to reach a double-digit score. They got 15 runs extra — the second-biggest source of their runs after Chima’s 63.
In reply, Bangladesh lost the first wicket inside 26 runs. But Iftakher Hossain posted an unbeaten 61 off 89 balls with seven fours and guided the team to a comfortable win. Prantik Nawrose Nabil scored 33.
READ: It’s great to get recognised, says Shakib after being in ICC ODI team of year
Parmveer Kharoud and Ethan Gibson took a wicket each for Canada.
Bangladesh will take on the United Arab Emirates in the next match, which is also their last match in the group phase.