People gather on a bridge over Highway 400 in support of truckers, who are on their way to Ottawa for the "freedom convoy" protest, in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, on Jan. 27, 2022. The "freedom convoy" was sparked by outrage over a vaccine mandate recently imposed on Canadian-U.S. cross-border truckers.(Photo: Xinhua)

Truckers paralyzing the Canadian capital in anger at COVID-19 rules showed no sign of backing down Tuesday, as several of the nation's provinces announced it was time to roll back restrictions that count among the world's toughest.

With authorities struggling to bring the protest movement to heel, Saskatchewan in the country's west said Tuesday it was ready to lift all pandemic restrictions, with Quebec and Alberta also signaling plans to ease measures.

In the capital, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to shift tone, saying that he understood "how frustrated everyone is" and that "the time is coming when we will be able to relax."

"We're all sick and tired of restrictions, of mandates, of having to make sacrifices," Trudeau said, adding, however, that vaccine mandates were the "way to avoid further restrictions."

The so-called "Freedom Convoy" began in January in western Canada - launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or tested and isolated, when crossing the US-Canadian border.

Having snowballed into an occupation of the Canadian capital, the protest has sparked solidarity rallies across the nation and abroad, and by Tuesday had forced the temporary closure of a key US border bridge, the busiest international land-border crossing in North America.

Amid a state of emergency in Ottawa, federal police have deployed among demonstrators waving Canadian flags and anti-Trudeau placards in protests now in their second week and fast becoming a rallying cry for far-right and anti-vaccine groups.

Briefing reporters Tuesday, Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell said his agents had made 22 arrests to date.

"Our message to demonstrators remains the same: Don't come. And if you do, there will be consequences," he said.

Under light snowfall, the truckers have been warming themselves by open pit fires and playing street hockey.

Since a court ordered their incessant loud honking to stop, they have turned instead to revving the engines of their big rigs.

Police say some of the truckers have brought their children, making any evacuation more complex - especially as some have removed their tires and others have modified their brakes to immobilize their trucks.

More than 80 percent of Canadians aged 5 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

AFP