Trudeau had a contentious week in Parliament after vanishing from the public eye to an undisclosed site in late January, allegedly to recover from a Chinese coronavirus infection himself. He returned on Monday to an emergency session discussing the "Freedom Convoy," a series of protests led by truckers demanding an end to vaccine and mask mandates, business lockdowns, and travel restrictions that the Trudeau government has imposed in an attempt to contain the pandemic.

The largest iteration of the convoy is currently in downtown Ottawa, not far from Parliament. The city has been flooded by trucks for nearly two weeks and attracted thousands of protesters – most of whom, according to police, have been peaceful. Reports on the ground have revealed the development of a community among the protesters including distribution of free food, drinks, and other supplies and a generally positive party atmosphere, save for instances of police brutality.

Trudeau has repeatedly insisted he would not listen to any calls for lifting the mandates and restoring normal life to Canada. He has accused the protesters of racism and misogyny and equated them with Nazis in his statements in Parliament on Monday.

The next day, he once again faced calls to meet with opposition leaders and bring an end to the onerous mandate regime currently in place. The interim leader of the Conservative Party, Candice Bergen, asked Trudeau if he would consider ending restrictions once again.