For almost a week, truckers have been parked in downtown Ottawa, protesting vaccine mandates and sleeping in their vehicles.

Paul Aubue is one of them. He says that he joined the protests because he is unvaccinated and owns a trucking company and recent regulations enforced vaccines on drivers crossing from the US into Canada and says that although the pandemic has been ongoing for two years "every day there's something more."

A majority of Canadians, particularly those in Ottawa, are growing tired of the protests which have halted their lives and forced businesses to close. Locals have reported irritation at blasting truck horns, and charges of violence that at times left them afraid to leave their homes.

Analysts are hinting the protests may represent the initiation of a growing populist movement that can linger in Canada and change the political arena.

Although vaccine mandates are a provincial decision not federal, many truckers like Philip Grenier have stated they would stay in the capital "for as long as it takes."

Jennifer, a local, says she was harassed by a group of men wearing Canada flags as capes and chanting "Freedom!" before two other men in a vehicle hurtled swear words and insults at her for wearing a mask.

Peaceful turned violent 

Tim Abray, a communications expert, attempted to photograph the protests when he was attacked by three men while the police stood by.

The police currently have five open investigations into vandalism and harassment charges. The police have fears that the protests may turn violent amid calls for counter-protests.

In regards to deploying the military, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that this kind of response was not in the cards now, adding that  “One has to be very, very cautious before deploying military in situations engaging Canadians."

Indigenous lawyer and professor Pam Palmater told APTN News that when Indigenous people peacefully attempt to "protect their own rights." the strategy has been to deal with them by force, whereas with "angry white men", officers have attempted to defuse tensions. 

Amarnath Amarasingam, a researcher into extremism and populism movements at Queen’s University, says the epidemic and public health mandates have "brought QAnon, the Proud Boys and ‘sovereign citizens’ or anti-government people into the same room."

Romana Didulo, the self-proclaimed "Queen of Canada," came in Ottawa with her followers on Thursday. Didulo, a QAnon-affiliated conspiracy theorist, was recently arrested after she urged her 70,000 internet followers to shoot healthcare employees.

Read more: The rise of the radical right

Leaning right

The events have also piqued the interest of prominent far-right personalities in the US, including Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and his son, as well as Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. According to Ottawa police, a "significant" portion of the finance and organization is coming from the US.

The election system in Canada tends to favor more moderate parties, but the recent protest has raised the stature of previously marginal figures, particularly those who hold Islamophobic and racist beliefs.

High-profile conservative party members have stood with demonstrators in an effort to win the vacancy in the Conservative party.

Amarasingham says conservative leaders "want to be the ones that ride the fence for as long as possible to decide where their allegiances are in order to keep their jobs."

He adds that “If Canadian populism becomes this anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee and racist fringe and if some elected officials feel like that segment of the population is useful, that’s going to color the discourse in terms of how we actually do politics in Canada. That's a larger concern."