(16 February 2022) The Freedom Convoy protest may be soon approaching a climax after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday.  It is the first time the extraordinary measures have been used since his father, Pierre Trudeau, invoked its legal predecessor, the War Measures Act, in 1970 to combat a terrorist threat in the province of Quebec.  For the past three weeks, truckers from the Freedom Convoy have occupied downtown Ottawa, Canada’s capital, in an protest to end vaccine mandates and Covid restrictions.

We can easily see the outline of this stressful and unusual situation in Canada’s horoscope (July 1, 1867).  Not surprisingly, Saturn (23 Capricorn) is prominent here as the planet of obstruction and disappointment is forming a near-exact 3rd house/60 degree aspect to the Ascendant (24 Pisces).  Saturn’s influence reflects the sense of stalemate with the protestors who have clogged the downtown core in front of Parliament with trucks and trailers in an attempt to force the government to remove its stringent policies.  In addition, we can see that the ongoing conjunction of Venus and Mars will conjoin with the 10th house cusp (leadership, govt) and thereby bolster the Saturn aspect to the Ascendant for the rest of the week.  Moreover, the Venus-Mars conjunction will align with Rahu (24 Leo) later this week and suggests a greater likelihood of conflict and strife.

The other thing to note in this chart is the strength of Jupiter.  Jupiter (16 Aquarius) is just past conjunction with its natal position (15 Aquarius) and is exactly aspecting the Sun-Uranus conjunction at 16 Gemini.  Jupiter symbolizes “right action” and wisdom and its aspect with the Sun (government) is a positive influence on Trudeau’s actions.  The Jupiter-Sun aspect therefore suggests the government use of these emergency measures may be justified and could be supported by a majority of Canadians.  That said, there are many observers who are questioning Trudeau’s actions and the opposition Conservatives have not signed on to the Liberals’ motion in the House of Commons.  Nonetheless, the Jupiter influence here suggests that Trudeau has some judicial and popular support for this move.

While the Canada horoscope is quite afflicted here, I should say that I do not expect a major violent incident from this stand-off between the protestors and the police.  Some conflict is likely given the Mars influence in the coming days, but it looks fairly muted to me.

Looking ahead, however, Prime Minister Trudeau may pay a political price for his mishandling of the Freedom Convoy.  Trudeau’s chart is quite afflicted in the coming months as Saturn approaches its direct station in early June.  Actually, we can see the current drama play out in his chart as Saturn is exactly sextile his natal Moon at 23 Pisces.  This is one reason why Justin Trudeau was initially so popular — his Moon was just one degree from Canada’s Ascendant.  His emotions (Moon) were in sync with the body and soul (Ascendant) of the country.  Therefore, the Saturn affliction to the Canada Ascendant is also his affliction to his Moon.  The Venus-Mars alignment only adds to the current affliction and magnifies his level of personal stress from the convoy protests.  The Mars square aspect to his Moon will be exact over the next 2-3 days and suggest a time of maximum stress.

The larger problem for Trudeau is that Saturn will soon approach its retrograde station at 1 Aquarius on June 4.  Saturn will therefore form a close square aspect with his MC/IC (10th house/4th house cusp) in May and June.  Hard aspects (0, 90, 180 degrees) involving Saturn to the 10th house are associated with loss of status and possible job loss.  Could Trudeau somehow be forced out, either by his own party or in an election?

It’s actually a possibility worth considering.  Besides the affliction in Trudeau’s own chart, the Canada horoscope hints at a possible change in leadership.  In national horoscopes, the Sun is generally considered to the planet that symbolizes leaders.  In my experience, transit afflictions by Saturn or the Nodes (Rahu, Ketu) to the Sun often coincide with changes in government.  The Saturn retrograde station on June 4 will form a very close 135 degree alignment with the natal Sun (16 Gemini) in the Canada chart.

While 135 degrees is not a full strength Vedic aspect, it nonetheless is an intriguing geometric alignment that carries a special resonance.  As an additional affliction, Mercury concludes its retrograde cycle (May 10-June 3) exactly square Saturn right atop his MC.  While I would have preferred to see the Saturn-MC square to be closer for a loss of his leadership, it is nonetheless close enough to warrant serious consideration.

Even if Justin Trudeau manages to resolve this Freedom Convoy debacle, it seems likely that he will remain under continuing pressure in the months ahead..

Weekly Market Forecast 

Stocks have so far bounced this week after last week’s sharp sell-off.  As expected, the Mercury-Pluto-Rahu alignment coincided with last week’s decline.  However, this week’s gains have come despite the ongoing Venus-Mars conjunction.  While the conjunction is bearish, its extended alignment means that its effects may be felt at different times between February 11 and March 12.   Rallies are therefore quite likely but vulnerable to quick reversals as the Mars influence asserts itself.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.