Elon Musk Doubles Down On Canada Criticism: It Seems 'Fringe Minority' Is Government

Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk has intensified his criticism of the Canadian government for its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying that the so-called “fringe minority” seemed to actually be the government.

What Happened: Last week, Musk had expressed his support for Canadian truckers who were protesting the federal government vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers by tweeting “Canadian truckers rule.”

Musk noted in a tweet on Sunday that the absence of a significant counter-protest to the protest by the Canadian truckers showed the government did not have the mandate of the people.

Tesla’s outspoken CEO also posted a photo of the Canadian truck convoy headed to Ottawa to participate in a weekend protest against the government’s vaccine mandate.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians are not represented by this “very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians” who were lashing out at the government, mandates and public health advice, as per a report by the Associated Press.

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Why It Matters: The Canadian government imposed a vaccine mandate that took effect Jan. 15, requiring truck drivers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated, and the U.S. government later imposed a similar requirement.

Musk has shown his dislike for COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions previously too.

in an earlier exchange, the billionaire had called U.S. President Joe Biden a "damp [sock] puppet in human form."

In a quarterly earnings call in 2020, Musk termed the stay-at-home orders imposed that year following the coronavirus outbreak as “fascist.”

Price Action: Tesla shares closed almost 2.1% higher in Friday’s regular trading session at $846.35 and further rose 0.6% in the after-hours session to $851.80.

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Photo: Courtesy of Nvidia Corp. via Flickr