Thousands of protesters calling for an end to all COVID-19 public health measures descended on Quebec City on Saturday for the second weekend this month.
Inspired by the so-called Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, horns could be heard as several dozen vehicles, including trucks and tractors, arrived outside the provincial legislature late Saturday morning.
It was a mostly festive atmosphere, as some people were dressed up in cartoon character costumes, stuffed animals were handed out to children and music played.
It was the second large demonstration against public health measures in the province in two weeks.
Since the last one in early February, the Quebec government announced it is phasing out its vaccine passport system and intends to get rid of most COVID-19 health measures by March 14.
But protest organizers, addressing the crowd outside the legislature, said they wanted more concessions from the provincial government.
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Organizer Bernard Gauthier called the tone of the protest “peaceful,” adding he hoped the provincial government would return the favour without specifying any demands.
Meanwhile, others called for an end to the provincially-declared health emergency and mandatory masks for school-aged children.
Demonstrator Christian Martel said he wanted to see an end to mandatory masking in classrooms.
“The pandemic is over, we have to end everything. We’re tired, it’s enough,” said Martel.
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Last week, Quebec announced it would be phasing out vaccine passports, but Health Minister Christian Dubé warned it would reimpose the passport system if it’s needed during a new wave of COVID-19. He told residents to not delete the cellphone application that stores a QR code used to check proof of vaccination.
Around noon, Quebec City police said they had made three arrests near the legislature.
“The majority of demonstrators are respecting and honouring their agreement to want to demonstrate peacefully,” the police force said in a social media post.