This is anarchy. Order must be restored
We are a free society that protects and embraces the right to assembly and of peaceful protest. But, after what we have seen in Ottawa and elsewhere over the past 18 days, and to some degree in the past few years at pipelines and rail lines, we are no longer a country that applies the rule of law without fear or prejudice.
The right of protest is integral to — and strengthens — our democracy. Citizens have the right to make their voices heard loud and clear every day and not just at the ballot box.
Canadians are frustrated and tired with all they have endured. Those who don’t like being compelled to get vaccinated to get on an airplane, visit a restaurant, or enter a land border by car or truck can grab a sign and fill our public squares. Indeed, there is ample valid opinion that many Canadian governments have over reached and politicized COVID for partisan benefit. The debate over the decisions made by governments over COVID measures and their impacts on our overall health began prior to and will continue long after the trucks occupying Parliament Hill and our vital infrastructure are gone.
Every government in Canada has struggled with the pandemic. Many of the restrictions can’t be explained in a way people understand. What is understandable, and one might even applaud, are those who grab a sign and parade around Parliament Hill or their own provincial or town gathering place to demonstrate their anger and lack of confidence in their governments.
But what we have seen in the occupation of Ottawa and blockages at border crossings is not the right of protest enshrined in our constitution, but illegal activity that represents a national security and economic threat to Canada. Leaving aside the stated manifesto of the organizers to overthrow the government, these protests are weakening our economy and disrupting the freedoms of law-abiding citizens.
No doubt the convoy of truckers and others who now control downtown Ottawa were buoyed by the welcome mat extended by elected officials; those who swore an oath to protect Canadian institutions. Hypocritically, one day members of Parliament clamour for rail blockades to come down and then the next they cheer on those who boast of their illegal intent and then paralyze supply chains, impede traffic and restrict ordinary citizens from the peaceful enjoyment of their lives.
Local law enforcement has proven to be unwilling or incapable of dealing with these threats. On Saturday, they ceded ground and the security perimeter around the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the most virulent of protesters. Lines were drawn to prevent or stall the refuelling of trucks, but were then immediately crossed.
The challenging work of law enforcement is made more difficult when being undermined by elected officials. Aside from allowing them to set up, local police have proven to be no match for a few anarchists and lawbreakers, some with extensive military and police experience schooled in tactics and likely civilian responses. Among their leaders are Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who protected the prime minister; Tom Quiggin, former RCMP and intelligence officer who gave testimony to Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in 2015; and, Tom Marazzo, who claims a 25-year military career.
This is not freedom, it’s anarchy on display at the threshold of our democracy.
While Canada may be divided on pandemic restrictions, we believe the country is united in the view that illegal blockades and occupations are wrong and that court injunctions should be enforced.
We need a serious solution to a serious problem that is proportionate to the challenge. Getting serious means having the intelligence and conviction to minimize whatever disruptions are evident and imminent. We ask how it is a 21-year-old could file an effective injunction to deal with the horn-honking of the convoy while City of Ottawa solicitors contemplated their options? How much different it would have been had the Ottawa Police positioned concrete barriers around the Parliamentary precinct and allowed a controlled flow of vehicles into the downtown core. We support the proposals to put the streets within the Parliamentary district into federal hands so there is clarity about who is responsible and accountable for public and parliamentary safety.
But why would the occupiers leave? They are gaining worldwide notoriety with impunity. The cash and Bitcoin donations roll in. They believe authorities are not a threat to their moment of fame.
So, what’s next?
As a rule, let’s affirm that negotiations with those committing illegal acts is a terrible precedent. National security threats, which we are now facing, need to be led by our national security force, the RCMP, through the use of the Emergencies Act, which the federal government invoked Monday. They have the strength, intelligence, methods and capability that no single municipality can muster.
We cannot be selective about what blockades we tolerate and those we resist.
All illegal activity whatever the cause needs to be treated the same — regardless of the sympathies of the government of the day.
Illegal activity cannot shape government policy. In this circumstance, governments should follow the science and not be afraid to alter COVID policies even if that’s what the anarchists and protesters say they want.
When Quebec Premier François Legault said last week the protests had no influence on his decision to begin lifting restrictions, he humorously added, “If they want to take credit and not come back in two weeks, I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” It would be far less humorous if frustrated citizens confronted the lawbreakers and violence ensued.
Finally, with all forewarning, Canada must deliberately apply the rule of law in a way that leaves no doubt that injunctions will be enforced and that those who do not comply face severe financial and other legal consequences. The warning might have the desired effect to bring the blockades to an end, but this will only happen if the organizers sense resolve and strength in the forces the RCMP can muster.
We have had massive protests in Ottawa that were peaceful and advanced the goals of the organizers. The 30,000 from Canada’s Tamil community who came to Parliament Hill in 2009 to speak out against violence and civil war in Sri Lanka were heard loud and clear and offer lessons on what purposeful, lawful and effective protest looks like.
It’s not just our capital and our borders that are under threat but the rule and law and how we function as a democracy. So far, we are setting a very bad precedent that has only emboldened copycats who have witnessed consequence-free anarchy. If we are serious as a country about our values, we need to stand up for them and not let lawlessness prevail.
THESE PROTESTS ARE WEAKENING OUR ECONOMY AND DISRUPTING THE FREEDOMS OF LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS.