COVID-19 protests prompt mayor of Ottawa to call state of emergency
OTTAWA — Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency Sunday, saying authorities were “outnumbered” and are “losing this battle” against hundreds and sometimes thousands of protesters, many in big-rig trucks who disrupted the capital city and other locales across Canada for the second weekend in a row.
Mr. Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by front-line workers and first responders.
Protests over coronavirus public health measures Saturday and Sunday included the massive road blockades, shooting off fireworks, driving on sidewalks, high-decibel nonstop horn-honking by truckers and what the Ottawa police department called other forms of “extremely disruptive and unlawful behavior. ... We continue to advise demonstrators not to enter Ottawa, and to go home,” the department said in a statement.
The department warned Sunday that anyone attempting to bring “material” support to the trucks, including gasoline, would be subject to arrest.
The “Freedom Convoy” has attracted support from many U.S. Republicans including former President Donald Trump, who called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “far left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.”
A former U.S. ambassador to Canada says U.S. Republicans must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbor.
“Canada US relations used to be mainly about solving technical issues. Today Canada is unfortunately experiencing radical US politicians involving themselves in Canadian domestic issues. Trump and his followers are a threat not just to the US but to all democracies,” Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador under President Barack Obama, tweeted.
Mr. Heyman said “under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop.”
Demonstrations in solidarity with the “Freedom Convoy” also broke out in other cities across Canada, Toronto, Quebec City and Vancouver.
Authorities in Vancouver reported late Saturday that rocks and eggs were being thrown, cars kicked, “and nails being strewn on roadways” as several hundred vehicles rode through the city en route to the downtown core. Five arrests were made.
While the crowds are expected to thin during the coming week, Toronto was taking no chances. Police in Canada’s largest city announced Sunday that they would continue road closures in the downtown core into the week “to keep access routes clear, protect our health care workers, patients, and their families, and maintain public safety.”
In Alberta, the blockade of an important U.S.-Canada border crossing also continued.
Some protests drew counterprotests.
What stood out in the comments of public officials was their sense of helplessness.
“The situation at this point is completely out of control because the individuals with the protest are calling the shots,” Mr. Watson, the mayor, said in a radio interview Sunday on CFRA.