Trudeau warns of 'severe consequences' for anti-vaccine mandate protesters who don't stand down

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In his most strongly worded statement since the anti-vaccine mandate protests began nearly two weeks ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that police and all levels of government are preparing to take action against the demonstrators behind the blockades in Ottawa, Windsor and elsewhere.

Trudeau said the protesters must stand down or face severe "consequences" for any illegal activities — consequences that include the possibility of criminal charges and steep financial penalties. He said the federal government will no longer tolerate activists who "take the economy hostage" and bring life to a standstill in the nation's capital.

Trudeau said authorities are prepared to hit protesters where it hurts the most by suspending commercial trucking licenses and pursuing charges that could result in jail time. He also warned that criminal sanctions could be levelled that would stop the protesters from ever travelling internationally again.

"Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity has to end, and it will end," Trudeau said. "We hope these people will decide to go home. Otherwise, there will be an increasingly robust police intervention."

While the prime minister said he "can't say too much more about when or how this ends," he indicated that police are readying themselves now to break up demonstrations that have crippled Canada-U.S. trade and shuttered large portions of Ottawa's downtown core.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-severe-consequences-demonstrators-1.6348661