The anti-mask protest in Montreal, Quebec, drew a large crowd, propelled by U.S conspiracy theories.

Anti-mask protesters and conspiracy theorists marched through downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dozens show up at anti-mask rally in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Anti-mask rally in Steinbach, Manitoba saw hundreds of attendees.

Various conspiracy theories linked mask mandates to government corruption.  Conspiracy theorists believed that the “truth” about masks and the virus need to be exposed. Mandatory masking violated their freedoms and the virus was viewed as a hoax. 

A protestor demands liberty in an anti-mask demonstration.

The demonstrators co-opted well known social protest slogans as shown in the two signs below. Here, we see the phrase commonly associated with women’s bodily autonomy “my body my choice.” But in this context, the protestor advocated that was her “choice” to catch and spread COVID-19 to the community.

Anti-mask protestor.

Anti-mask rallies occurred across Canada despite increased support for mandatory masks.

Children and their well-being also concerned anti-mask protesters. They did not fear COVID-19 but rather a decline in children's mental health because of social distancing. This Facebook group fosters notions of holistic health that includes physical touch and seeks to discredit medical knowledge. 

Anti-masking groups call for changes to mask mandate on behalf of children.

Anti-mask protestor holds sign saying "No masks! Let the children smile".

Many of the demonstrations centred around misinformation and a sense that the pandemic was exaggerated. The Beaverton, a satirical paper, articulates that fallacy well.

Anti-mask protests drew criticism from several satirical news outlets like The Beaverton.