Canadian Forces Vet Completes First 1,000 Km of Trek to Ottawa in Protest of COVID Mandates

James Topp is walking to Ottawa from Vancouver to protest against government mandates and the erosion of individual freedoms

As he makes his way through British Columbia, James Topp points to how many kilometers he has covered thus far on his walk to Ottawa in protest of COVID-19 mandates. Courtesy of Logan Murphy

When Canadian Armed Forces veteran James Topp and his small crew strolled into the southern Alberta municipality of Fort MacLeod on March 31, they reached a significant milestone on their journey to Ottawa to protest government mandates and an erosion of Canadian freedoms: 1,000 kilometres.

Topp launched his Canada Marches movement on Feb. 20 at the Terry Fox Plaza in Vancouver, the plan being to travel the 4,293 kilometres to the nation’s capital all on foot “in peaceful protest against government mandates trampling personal freedoms,” according to his website.