Protesters protest against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of the Ottawa protesters on Friday outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.
John Woods / The Canadian Press / via AP
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John Woods / The Canadian Press / via AP
Protesters protest against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of the Ottawa protesters on Friday outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.
John Woods / The Canadian Press / via AP
OTTAWA, Ontario – The Conservative Prime Minister of Ontario called on protesters to end the “occupation” of Ottawa on Friday, while police moved 150 officers to affected areas of the capital. most by protest against COVID-19 restrictions.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly did not say when the day-long protest would end, saying police expect it to flare up again later this week, when protests are also held. planned in Toronto and Quebec City.
“It’s not a protest anymore. It’s become a career,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “It’s time for this to end.”
Ford said the province was getting very close to returning to normal during the pandemic and protests were a constitutional right, but he said occupation was unacceptable.
Sloly admits “trust has been affected” as Ottawa residents are angered by the shrill sirens, traffic congestion and harassment they face. Many people complain that the police have done little and they call it a profession.
“If we knew it was going to infiltrate neighborhoods, we would have deployed more resources into those neighborhoods,” said Deputy Sheriff Steve Bell. “We’ve listened to our community. They’re upset, they’re scared.”
Thousands of protesters against vaccine regulations and other COVID-19 restrictions poured into the capital last weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Police estimate around 250 people remain, but Bell said they expect an additional 300 to 400 vans this weekend and more than 1,000 pedestrian protesters. He said up to 1,000 people were expected to protest.
The “liberal convoy” drew support from former US President Donald Trump and the opposition federal Conservatives in Canada, but two federal Conservative lawmakers broke with the party, arguing that The rally needs to end.
“I spent a week going through the Siege of Ottawa,” Conservative lawmaker Pierre Paul-Hus wrote on Twitter. “I ask that we clear the streets and we stop this occupation controlled by extremist and anarchist groups.”
Senator Dennis Patterson has dropped out of the Conservative Party caucus.
“I wholeheartedly and deeply plead and denounced what is happening in Ottawa with the so-called Freedom Convoy right now. Let me be clear: If you wrap yourself up or go about waving a flag of Nazi Germany or the Confederacy, you are claiming to be a Patterson said in a statement.
The Conservatives ousted their moderate party leader this week and the interim leader has voiced support for the protesters.
Many Canadians expressed outrage after some protesters urinated and parked their cars on the National War Memorial. One jumped on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Some carry signs and flags in the shape of a swastika.
Protesters said they would not leave until all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions are in place. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau’s government, although it is responsible for a number of measures, most introduced by provincial governments.
Late on Thursday, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had approved the mayor’s request for the national police force to assist the city’s police.
Organizers, including those espousing white supremacist and racist views, have raised millions of dollars for a cross-country “freedom caravan” against regulations on vaccines and other restrictions. Protests are also planned for Toronto and Quebec City. Toronto police closed a street south of the provincial legislature, home to five major hospitals. A convoy of trucks selling tractors turned up north of the legislature Friday night.
The Canadian Transport Union, a federation that represents truckers across the country, has estimated that 85% of truckers in Canada have been vaccinated. It opposes the protest.
Some protesters are protesting a regulation, effective January 15, that requires truckers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The US has similar regulations for truckers entering the US So if the Canadian government removed it, it would make no difference.
