Trudeau, his wife and their children were relocated from their Ottawa home to the undisclosed location in the capital amid heightened security concerns, sources told CBC.
The prime minister's itinerary for the day usually states he is in Ottawa if he's at home, but on Saturday it was changed to say "National Capital Region." Trudeau has been working remotely and isolating after one of his children tested positive for COVID last week.
The move to relocate Trudeau came as the protesters — mostly made up of a huge convoy of truckers — rolled into the city to rail against vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.
The so-called "Freedom Convoy" initially started as a protest against a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, but quickly grew into a mass demonstration against the Canadian government over COVID regulations.
Dozens of trucks were lined up in front of the Parliament buildings by Saturday morning, including some who parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial.
Protestors compared the vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Trudeau.
The convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence and warn residents to avoid downtown.
A top Parliament security official also advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted.
The truckers and others were protesting a new rule that took effect on January 15 that requires truckers entering Canada be fully vaccinated against COVID.
The organizers of the protest have called for the forceful elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates — and some called for the removal of Trudeau.
Comment: These truckers are not only unifying Canada, but their inspiration is being felt across the world. Turns out it's not a 'small fringe minority' afterall!
See also: Canada PM Justin Trudeau ducking the Great Trucker revolt