Trudeau, cabinet pursued by protesters at Hamilton retreat

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers gathered in Hamilton this week to plan a path forward for the new parliamentary sitting that begins next week — and they've been pursued by protesters at nearly every turn.

A small but vocal group of roughly 20 protesters has set up outside Trudeau's hotel and the site of the retreat. The protesters have used techniques similar to those deployed by the protest convoy that converged on Ottawa a year ago.

The Hamilton crowd has shouted at the prime minister at all hours of the day — taunting him with chants of "tyrant" and "traitor" and cries of "f*** Trudeau," while carrying flags and signs bearing the same messages.

One protester has carried a "We love the fringe" flag — a reference to Trudeau's past comment that anti-vaccine elements in Canada constitute a "fringe minority."

They also have been honking car horns in the early morning hours.

Some of the protesters have draped themselves in the Canadian flag, a fashion choice that was followed by some anti-vaccine mandate protesters on Parliament Hill last year.

The demonstrators are vehemently opposed to the prime minister's handling of the COVID-19 health crisis and his policy of vaccine mandates for travellers and some cross-border workers — policies that were dropped last year as part of a push to return to pre-pandemic life.

The protesters also have been carrying signs denouncing the World Economic Forum (WEF), a non-governmental organization that hosts discussions between world and business leaders at an annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.

The WEF is at the centre of many COVID-related conspiracy theories because, in 2020, some of its leaders talked about a "great reset" after the health crisis — a chance to evaluate how the global economy is structured after grappling with such a devastating pandemic.

On Tuesday evening, as Trudeau and his cabinet walked across the street to a local restaurant for dinner, a crowd gathered — prompting the RCMP protection detail to close ranks and shuffle him into the hotel through a side entrance to avoid some angry elements of the crowd.

The demonstrators pounded on the windows of the restaurant, Bread Bar, a move that unsettled a number of the cabinet ministers inside, sources said.

WATCH: Crowd gathers to protest Trudeau's policies during cabinet retreat in Hamilton

Some cabinet ministers also shielded their colleagues from the demonstrators as they encircled Trudeau and his entourage on the walk back to the conference complex, said sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Bread Bar protesters also carried an inflatable sheep wearing a face mask, with a sign that read "99.8 per cent survival rate" — a reference to COVID-19.