NO TRUCK WITH MILITARY

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has poured cold water on a proposal to send in the military to clear protesters opposed to Covid vaccine mandates, whose convoy of trucks is clogging Ottawa’s downtown.

The city’s police chief, under pressure from local residents weary of harassment and incessant loud honking, had pitched the idea during a briefing the previous day.

“That is not in the cards right now,” Mr Trudeau told a news conference, adding that governments must be “very, very cautious before deploying the military”.

For a week, Canada’s capital has been beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid vaccines for travel between Canada and the US.

Mr Trudeau said it was up to police to deal with the protesters and disruptions to the local community.