Political pressure grows for end to protests as Ottawa warns of weekend surge

Jordan Press and Laura Osman
Publishing date: Feb 10, 2022

Truck drivers and their supporters gather to block the streets as part of a convoy of truck protesters against COVID-19 mandates, in Ottawa, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.

 PHOTO BY SPENCER PLATT /Getty Images
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OTTAWA — Pressure has mounted on both sides of the border, and across the political aisle in Canada, for protesters blockading key crossings with the U.S. and others encamped by Parliament Hill to go home, or for officials to move them out of the way.

Political patience with the protesters has run thin as vehicles choke the flow of goods at border crossings, including at Coutts, Alta., Emerson, Man., and the busy Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance said Thursday the industry would pay a heavy price for the border actions. It called on governments to end the current blockades and provide a plan to prevent them from happening again.

Political support for the protesters seemed to evaporate as well, as the interim Conservative leader, who two weeks ago suggested her party do everything to make the demonstrations the prime minister’s problem, reversed course and cut her party’s support.

Speaking to the House of Commons, Candice Bergen called on protesters to go home and end activity that she said was hurting the country’s economic rebound from COVID-19.

“Take down all of the blockades. Protest peacefully and legally, but it’s time to remove the barricades and the trucks for the sake of the economy,” Bergen said.

South of the border, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a written statement urged federal, provincial and local authorities in Canada to immediately end the blockades that threaten her state’s economy. She did so hours before a Michigan congresswoman, Elissa Slotkin, warned of similar protests in the future the longer Canadian authorities let the situation persist.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the RCMP is sending reinforcements to Ottawa and Windsor.

Canadian ministers to protesters Go home

Several key Canadian government ministers delivered a pointed message to anti-mandate protesters who continue to paralyze downtown Ottawa and block traffic at key U.S.-Canada border crossings Go home they urged. Feb. 9...

The latter city was granted intervener status Thursday in an application for an injunction that would stop protesters blocking Canada-bound traffic at the Ambassador Bridge crossing. An Ontario Supreme Court justice was set to hear submissions Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government was working with municipal leaders and the Ford government in Ontario to put an end to barricades that were “hurting communities across the country.

“We’re going to continue to do what’s necessary to end these barricades,” Trudeau told reporters on his way into the House of Commons.

But the protests showed no signs of letting up.

Speaking to a crowd gathered by Parliament Hill, protester Bethan Nodwell urged the crowd to hold the line downtown until reinforcements arrive this weekend.

“We’re blocking the airports. We’re blocking borders. We are blocking it all. We are not going to retreat,” she said into the microphone.

The situation in Ottawa, which has spurred similar actions nationally and abroad, continued to dominate debate even as political fissures have formed inside the Liberal caucus and Official Opposition over the handling of the protests and public health measures.

The House of Commons foreign affairs committee was scheduled to meet Thursday where the NDP planned to seek unanimous consent to invite U.S. Ambassador David Cohen to testify. The New Democrats want to hear from him about American funding of the protest in Ottawa through online donations, which they say is an attack on Canada’s democracy.

The so-called Freedom Convoy rolled in to Ottawa two weeks ago, ostensibly to protest federal vaccination mandates for truckers, but it has also demanded an end to all COVID-19 restrictions and some in the group have called for the government to be dissolved.

Ottawa police said Thursday that a dozen trucks left an area outside the downtown core after negotiations with protesters who have used the parking lot there as a staging and logistics ground.

Ten more trucks left streets near Parliament Hill, and another vehicle was towed for obstructing traffic as police look to reduce the footprint of the protesters’ occupation of downtown Ottawa.

There are now about 400 vehicles left in the core.

Demonstrators with large trucks have been warned by police that if they block streets they could be charged with mischief to property, or have their vehicles and other property seized and possibly forfeited. Police also warned that charges or convictions might mean being barred from travelling to the United States.

On Thursday afternoon, police said they had made three more arrests since Tuesday, bringing the total number of arrests to 25. An investigation is also underway after demonstrators refused to stop for an officer and hit a police cruiser near downtown, though police said no one was injured.

Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly warned anyone considering coming to the capital on the weekend to think twice about entering the city and said they’ll be met by a beefed-up police presence.

Sloly also said he expected an imminent announcement from upper levels of government about the city’s request for 1,800 additional officers to bolster the local force.

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With files from Mike Blanchfield, Stephanie Taylor, Mia Rabson and Justin Tang in Ottawa and Nicole Thompson in Toronto

Trudeau calls on all parties to denounce ‘illegal’ trucker occupations, blockades

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with leaders of opposition parties Thursday evening, where he said he briefed them on the latest developments of the trucker convoy protests and blockades.

Conservatives reverse course on support, call for end to convoy blockades

In a statement on Twitter, Trudeau said he stressed how important it is for every party to "denounce these illegal acts — and to call for an end to these blockades."

Video: Trucker protests: Aerial footage of protest causing delays on Ambassador Bridge

The teleconference meeting occurred between Trudeau, Opposition Leader and interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, sources confirmed to Global News.

Trudeau also said he spoke with the mayor of Windsor, Ont., Drew Dilkens, before the meeting to talk about the trucker blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing for the U.S. and Canada.

Trudeau said the federal government is "committed" to helping Dilkens and Ontario "get the situation under control," but did not provide details of how.

"It is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border," Trudeau said.

Ottawa police say ‘flood’ of false 911 calls came ‘significantly’ from U.S. sources

U.S. officials on Thursday urged Trudeau and the federal government to use federal powers to end the blockade, while Windsor police said that "additional resources" have been deployed from "outside jurisdictions" to help support a peaceful resolution to the blockade.

Blockades have also been established in Coutts, Alta., and Emerson, Man.

Trudeau said he also convened an Incident Response Group meeting with ministers and officials earlier in the day.

Read more:
‘Snowball effect’: Canada’s trucker convoy sparks anti-mandate protests globally

In a statement after the meeting with Trudeau, Singh said that the Prime Minister has "spent more time looking for excuses than providing solutions" to the ongoing protests and occupation in Ottawa that is on its 14th day.

"Canadians have been missing national leadership during this crisis," Singh said. "They're tired of jurisdictional excuses, they just want this to stop."

Singh said he called on Trudeau in the meeting to "act urgently" to end the convoy and to work on a plan to get Canadians out of the COVID-19 pandemic that is nearing two years long.

He also encouraged Trudeau to follow in the footsteps of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who got an injunction Thursday to freeze millions of dollars in funds raised from the convoy's GiveSendGo fundraiser. Singh wants Trudeau to "follow suit and do the same."

Read more:
Ontario freezes funds from GiveSendGo trucker convoy fundraiser

Bergen thanked Trudeau for holding the meeting in a tweet.

"I continue to call on him to take action to bring this to an end peacefully and quickly," she said.

Earlier Thursday, she had told the House of Commons that it is now time for protesters to "take down the barriers."

“To all of you who are taking part in the protests, I believe the time has come to take down the barricades, stop the disruptive action, and come together. The economy you want to see reopened is hurting," she said.

“I believe this is not what you want to do.”

Read more:
Conservatives’ Candice Bergen urges trucker convoy: ‘Take down the barricades’

Opposition leaders had asked Trudeau to convene a meeting earlier on Thursday during question period to discuss the federal response to blockades at key border crossings and to the occupation in Ottawa.

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Thursday that the more resources law enforcement has from the provincial and federal governments, the quicker the demonstration will come to an end.

“More resources, more reinforcements means more results,” Sloly said.

Justin Trudeau Assembled An Incident Response Group To Get The Freedom Convoy 'Under Control'

With the Freedom Convoy still in Ottawa and border blockades happening in multiple locations, Justin Trudeau has assembled a team to help work towards getting the situation "under control."

On February 10, it was announced in a statement that the prime minister convened the Incident Response Group about the ongoing demonstrations.

He was joined by ministers and senior officials who are actively engaging with both provincial and municipal governments in Canada.

They are also assessing the requirements and helping to deploy the federal resources that are necessary to help local governments "get the situation under control."

Trudeau, the ministers and the officials said that they have "serious concern" about what they called illegal blockades and occupations and emphasized that they're determined to see them end quickly.

When it comes to the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, the group said they're committed to providing federal resources to help enforcement.

The ministers and officials told the prime minister about efforts being made with their provincial and municipal counterparts, especially with the Government of Ontario to restore access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor to Detroit.

The statement said the bridge and other ports of entry that are being blocked are vital trade routes and "the illegal blockades are resulting in real harm to jobs and our economies on both sides of the border."

Ministers and officials have been in close contact with representatives and officials from the U.S. "to align efforts to resolve this situation."

Trudeau and the ministers said they'll continue to work closely with local governments and authorities to respond with "whatever it takes" to help provinces and municipalities end the blockades and "bring the situation under control."

Just a day before the Incident Response Group was assembled, Trudeau spoke with Ontario Premier Doug Ford about what's happening and they united against the freedom convoy and the border blockades.

While the group is working with American officials, some MPs recently called out the attorney general of Texas for his comments about the Freedom Convoy GoFundMe page getting shut down.

Convoy protests creating political nightmare for Liberals and Conservatives

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OTTAWA — Toronto Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith says he agrees with his colleague Joël Lightbound that "divisive" rhetoric about getting vaccinated has to end, even if he is not fully onside with everything the Quebec Liberal MP said.

There have been obvious divisions within the Conservative caucus for months about vaccine mandates, COVID-19 restrictions and, in the last two weeks, whether or how to support the ongoing convoy demonstration paralyzing downtown Ottawa and now blocking multiple border crossings.

But some divisions are now emerging within the Liberal caucus and some MPs are calling for a shift in tone and direction from the government.

Lightbound, a Quebec City MP who spent the four years before the last election as a parliamentary secretary in health, finance and public safety, publicly chastised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday for politicizing the pandemic and mandating vaccines in a bid to win votes from Canadians during the last election.

Erskine-Smith said in an interview he too was worried about “tone and rhetoric” coming from the government that appeared to lump together everyone with doubts about mandates or vaccines.

“We don’t have to vilify those who disagree with us on that front," he said. "And nor should people vilify people who are supportive of mandates."

"There are many people with legitimate questions and concerns and even where we disagree and (think they) may be misinformed I think we need to meet folks with compassion wherever possible."

The convoy occupying Ottawa and barricading borders is a complex group, with some there solely to protest against government restrictions and vaccine mandates they deem as a fundamental affront to civil liberties. But others have more nefarious purposes, including those displaying white supremacist symbols, and some of the lead organizers are calling for the democratically elected government to be overthrown.

Trudeau has refused to negotiate with anyone involved, and in the lead-up to the convoy's arrival in Ottawa said they were "a fringe minority with unacceptable views."

He and most of his cabinet have repeatedly said the only way forward is for people to get vaccinated to save both their lives and the lives of others, and insisted the vast majority of Canadians got vaccinated and clearly agree.

Lightbound expressed disgust at the displays of hatred and racism among the protesters on Parliament Hill but said he would not demonize all of them for wanting what more and more Canadians do: a more balanced approach to responding to COVID-19 that doesn't involve lockdowns and business and school closures that challenge both mental health and economic prosperity.

Erskine-Smith said he thought Lightbound had confused what restrictions the federal government was responsible for — decisions on closing businesses and schools, limits on public gatherings, mask mandates and vaccine passports for most daily activities including sporting events, concerts or eating in restaurants all fall to the provinces.

Ottawa is in charge only of vaccine mandates and COVID-19 testing requirements at the border, and vaccine mandates for federally regulated industries. Those are things Erskine-Smith said do need to be re-evaluated, but that those conversations have to be divorced from the “lawlessness” happening outside Parliament.

“We don’t cater to mob rule, we listen to public health experts," he said. "The blockades have certainly made it harder to have a rational conversation and in some cases address restrictions."

Thunder Bay Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski said the same thing Wednesday and Toronto Liberal John McKay agreed.

"You have to be thinking about what can be done to ease people’s lives," he said.

"The risk analysis should be done by people who know what they are talking about: not politicians, not truckers, not Nazi-flag-waving nutters, but epidemiologists."

On Wednesday fellow Quebec Liberal MP Yves Robillard told The Hill Times he agreed with everything Lightbound said and that he was not alone. Robillard has not responded to a request for an interview from The Canadian Press.

Several Liberals are however of the mind that Lightbound is making things worse by speaking out, confusing Canadians about evidence and restrictions, and providing fodder to the Conservatives and the protesters outside.

"It's not good timing," Seniors Minister Kamal Khera said Wednesday. "I don't agree with the way he went about it."

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the disagreements should have been kept within the caucus.

"Everyone is entitled to their views and when it’s a team sport it’s something you do in private," said Miller. "He had expressed those views within caucus but to go out there and say that, that is something that we will discuss in private in caucus and afford him the respect that perhaps wasn’t accorded to us."

On Thursday, Erskine-Smith said on Twitter that he also thought the timing of Lightbound's remarks "was particularly challenging," given what is happening in Ottawa and elsewhere.

"The law should be enforced immediately, and we should not embolden further attacks on the rule of law," he wrote.

Winnipeg Liberal Jim Carr, a former cabinet minister, said he is confident "caucus is solid" regardless of the events of this week. But Carr said he is getting "tons of calls" from constituents about the protests, which expanded to Winnipeg last weekend.

"People are very emotional about it," he said. "They just want it to end."

Many Canadians are expressing frustration at the lack of a clear plan from any level of government to end the protests. On Monday, the city of Ottawa pointed fingers at the federal government, the provincial government pointed fingers at the city of Ottawa and the federal government pointed fingers at the province.

Carr said that has to stop.

"People aren't fixated on jurisdiction," he said. "They want a peaceful resolution."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2022.

Mia Rabson and Marie Woolf, The Canadian Press