Manifestations against sanitary measures in Canada: Mayor of Ottawa asks for help of federal authorities

A debate on the subject stood on Monday night in Parliament. Leaving his silence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Canadians to “listen to science”.

Le Monde with AFP

overflowed by hundreds of trucks that make the Canadian capital ‘s “Headquarters”, the Mayor of Ottawa called on the federal authorities to help put the demonstration of road strength against sanitary measures, Purpose of an emergency debate in Parliament Monday, February 7 at night.

“It must stop,” Hardened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, back in person in the House of Commons, after a week of isolation due to COVID-19. “This pandemic has been zero for all Canadians!” He has tang, visibly irritated by the protests. “But Canadians know that the only way out is to continue listening to science,” he added, before wiping the reproaches of the opposition parties on his absence during the last days. For the Conservatives, he is responsible for a “division never seen in the country”.

Despite an increasingly tense situation, the Prime Minister, currently housed in a secret place, did not intervene after the weekend events, leaving his ministers climb to the niche. “The federal government will answer present,” he promised in the evening, without announcing new measures, claimed by the authorities of the City of Ottawa.

Prohibition of Klaxon

His mayor, Jim Watson, asked Monday reinforcements to the federal state to put an end to the “seat” to which Ottawa faces and pleaded for the sending of 1,800 additional police officers. Arrived in numbers on January 29th in front of Parliament and under the windows of Mr. Trudeau, between 400 and 500 trucks still blocked the city center on Monday.

“We must put an end to this event, but we can not do it alone,” said police chief Peter Sloly, also calling himself “help”. Some streets of the city center, congested in heavyweight, are always blocked to traffic, closed businesses and fortune shelters have been installed by the protesters who pass day and night to honk, to the chagrin of the inhabitants, caught in the Noise and diesel vapors.

The latter, however, won, Monday, a first battle: the Ontario Superior Court ordered protesters to stop klaxon. Some residents had launched a class action against the organizers of the event, claiming some $ 10 million (€ 7 million).

Protests, which have expanded this weekend to other Canadian cities (Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec …), recall on the form of “yellow vests” which had paralyzed the center of many French cities all the Weekends for several months from the winter 2018.

A short of fuel

“We can not allow an angry crowd” to dictate his law, said Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety. “This could create a precedent on how to develop policies in Canada,” he said.

Insensitive to political statements, protesters continue to claim “the lifting of vaccine bonds, restrictions, and restoration of the rights and freedoms of Canadians,” said Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the movement, when from a live on YouTube. “We are trying, right now, to reach out to all federal parties so that we can start talks and see how we can move forward,” she added.

She also denounced attempts to stifle movement. The Ottawa Police, criticized for not able to prevent the paralysis of the center of the capital, actually prevents the supply of protesters, in particular fuel.

Although the mobilization of truckers is only supported by a minority of Canadians, 32% from a recent survey, it still represents a wider bangs than the 10% Canadian adults. -Caccinate.

/Media reports.