Erin O'Toole refuses to say if he'd meet with the truck protesters as a convoy of hundreds of them heads to Ottawa

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending the vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers as a convoy of hundreds of them heads to Ottawa in protest.

Trudeau says getting vaccinated is the most important way to keep Canada's economy going, and he accuses the Conservatives of "fearmongering" about empty store shelves.

In a news conference this afternoon, Tory Leader Erin O'Toole refused to say whether he'd meet with the protesters in Ottawa.

The Conservatives have been pressuring Trudeau to lift the vaccine mandate for truckers, calling it a risk to Canada's supply chains and economic recovery.