Trucker convoy: Trudeau says protest ‘becoming illegal’ as demands for action grow | Globalnews.ca

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is working with the Ottawa police to put an end to the ongoing trucker protest in the nation’s capital as officials brace for a resurgence in demonstrators in the downtown core this coming weekend.

“We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that people are protected and to ensure that this protest, which is now becoming illegal, does come to an end,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Wednesday, when asked what the federal government is doing to remove truckers from downtown Ottawa as the demonstration stretches into its sixth day.

While the RCMP and Parliament Precinct Security have offered resources to OPS in managing the demonstration — composed of both convoy truckers and their supporters seeking an end to COVID-19 public health mandates — Trudeau said he wouldn’t personally step in to ensure the demonstration ends.

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“One of the important issues with a situation like this is to respect our institutions, systems and laws … politicians are not the ones who order law enforcement agencies to take any particular action,” he said.

“We are here to provide resources if law enforcement agencies request them but they are the ones who are doing the work on the ground and we want to see a peaceful resolution for this conflict.”

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Wednesday in a briefing with city council that the prospect of asking for support from the military is not off the table.

‘We’re looking at every single option, including military aid to civil power. I’ve had those discussions with mayor, council members, the board. There is a process extremely well established, extremely well covered, and extremely rare,” he said.

Ottawa city councillors have recently been calling for more involvement from the federal government to manage the protest, which has seen downtown residents besieged by around-the-clock honking and harassment on the streets.

Ottawa Coun. Diane Deans, chair of the city’s police board, said Wednesday afternoon that she is “sorry for the living hell that you are going through.”

“It is not just disruptive and difficult, it is violent and terrorizing, and it is targeting residents in their homes, near their homes as they walk down their street. Residents downtown have been abandoned during a national crisis and an occupation of our city,” Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, whose ward covers much of the downtown protest, said.

The councillor reiterated their calls for the RCMP to step in and take control of the downtown protest, freeing up OPS officers to respond to complaints in neighbourhoods outside the main Wellington Street demonstration.

Police Chief Peter Sloly said he had been in touch with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki asking for additional resources, and his latest request for more officers and intelligence officials was granted.

But he pushed back on McKenney’s request the RCMP take over, noting that the jurisdiction of the protest remains solely that of the OPS.

While police gave estimates there are as few as 250 protestors remaining from highs of 8,000-15,000 at its peak, Deputy Chief Steve Bell told city council that OPS expect those numbers to swell again over the weekend.

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Police said they don’t have a “full picture” of the numbers expected back this weekend, but noted that the forecast snowfall is expected to cause more challenges.

“We’re now somewhere between a demonstration and a longer-term effort to occupy our streets,” Bell said.

Multiple downtown hotels told Global News on background that they’re sold out — or near sold out — for the upcoming Saturday. While they couldn’t confirm whether their guests were protesters, two hotels said this weekend is shaping up to be busier than usual.

While Sloly and the OPS have been criticized for a lack of enforcement related to the protest, as noise bylaws and traffic disruptions go largely unpenalized, enforcement officials pointed to the numerous ongoing criminal investigations and the three arrests made as of Wednesday as proof that they are responding and punishing offenders.

But the Ottawa police chief also offered a warning that the removal of the convoy might not be in his hands.

“The more this demonstration continues, the more the risk to public safety increases. Every option remains on the table. That said, there may not be a policing solution,” Sloly said, without further elaboration.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday that he is working with Mona Fortier, Ottawa Vanier MP and president of the Treasury Board, to try to get financial support for residents and businesses affected by the lockdowns.

— with files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly, Rachel Gilmore