Freedom Convoy: The last of Canada’s Covid-19 demonstrations may end soon as Ottawa police warn of consequences of staying
The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, a non-profit organization that gets funding from the Ontario government, is urging demonstrators to make care arrangements for their children as police move forward with ending the protest.
“If parents and children are separated following police efforts in ending the demonstration in the downtown core, CASO will work to reunite families as soon as possible,” the organization said in a statement.
The latest moves from police come as border crossing blockades along the Canadian-US border have winded down this week.
Conservatives in Parliament object to emergency powers
Bergen said Trudeau didn’t do enough to bring an end to the demonstrations before invoking the act, CTV reported.
“The first act that he does when he has a chance to do something — he doesn’t go through step one, two, three — he goes straight to 100 and invokes the Emergencies Act,” Bergen told CTV News. “I don’t think anything that we will see will change our mind, we will be opposing it.”
The act, passed in 1988 and never utilized before, can temporarily suspend citizens’ rights to free movement or assembly. It can also provide for the use of the military, but Trudeau has said this would not be necessary.
To invoke powers under the Emergencies Act, the government must propose a motion in the House and Senate explaining why federal officials need the powers and specifying what actions will be taken, then both the House and Senate must confirm the motions, according to CTV.
Debate on the House motion will begin Thursday and a vote will be held soon, said Government House Leader Mark Holland, a member of Trudeau’s Liberal Party.
Trudeau said invoking the act “is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting peoples’ jobs and restoring faith in our institutions.”
4 charged with conspiracy to commit murder at Alberta protest
While the Ottawa shutdown is ongoing and the Manitoba blockade dissolved without confrontation, authorities that ended other border demonstrations earlier this week were met with some resistance.
Police seized five protester vehicles Sunday and seven vehicles were towed Saturday, according to Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno.
Four people have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the Coutts border blockade, the RCMP said Tuesday. Other charges include possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief over $5,000, police said.
“Monday’s weapons seizure and subsequent arrests speak to the serious criminal activities taking place during this protest and illegal blockade,” Alberta RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said in a video statement issued Tuesday. “The dangerous, criminal activity occurring away from the TV cameras and social media posts was real and organized, and it could have been deadly for citizens, protesters and officers.”
Nine other people were arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief over $5,000.
The crossing, which connects Coutts with Sweet Grass, Montana, is now open, Zablocki said.
“I am happy to share with Albertans that the border is fully open, traffic is moving through smoothly and all protestors have moved out of the area,” he said. “We are maintaining a presence at this time to ensure the border remains a safe passageway for Albertans.”
CNN’s Paula Newton, Jenn Selva, Chris Boyette, Artemis Moshtaghian, Miguel Marquez, Kelly McCleary, Holly Yan and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.