The police chief was very criticized for his management of the Canadian Federal Capital’s downtown blockage by protesters opposed to sanitary measures.
Le Monde with AFP
Highly criticized for its management of health protests in the Federal Capital, Ottawa Police Chief, Peter Sloly, resigned, Tuesday, February 15, Riley Brockington, a municipal councilor on Twitter, at Nineteenth day of the city center occupation by protesters. Mr. Sloly was denigrated in particular for having let the trucks settle in the heart of the city, in front of Parliament and under the windows of the Prime Minister’s Office, Justin Trudeau.
Despite the exceptional powers triggered on Monday, the situation evolved little on Tuesday morning in the streets of Ottawa city center, always blocked by protesters opposed to the sanitary measures refusing to leave. A long line of trucks always blocked the Wellington Street on the parliamentary hill.
Justin Trudeau announced Monday the exceptional appeal to the Emergency Measures Act to put an end to “illegal” blockages. It is only the second time that this provision is activated in peacetime, the last time going up to the 1970 crisis when Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the father of the current Prime Minister, was in power.
Dimaidly minimized by the authorities, the Canadian protest movement that started at the end of January ran for truckers protesting against the obligation to be vaccinated to pass the border between Canada and the United States. But the claims have expanded to a refusal of all sanitary measures and, for many protesters, to a rejection of the Government of Mr. Trudeau.
Several provinces have risen their restrictions
On border blocking points, the situation has evolved in Alberta, where the police made the arrest of eleven people on Monday and seized weapons. “The blockade is over, said Roberta McKale, spokesman for the Alberta police. Everyone voluntarily goes on.” A Emerson, in Manitoba, the protesters refused on the other hand to leave the places and the border remained closed.
Sunday evening, police had managed to evacuate the protesters of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, and the American city of Detroit. In total, 46 people were arrested and 37 captured vehicles, Tuesday announced the city police.
In a few days, the dispute still has moved the lines: several provinces have risen their restrictions. On Monday, the Prime Minister of Ontario announced that the vaccinal passport would be lifted on the 1 March in his province, epicenter of the protest, following the example of Saskatchewan and Alberta. For the first time, Quebec said to think about it. The federal government has also taken review the measures in place at borders and in particular the obligation to provide a negative PCR test to enter Canada.
If some 90% of Canadians are vaccinated, the movement has received wider popular support than anticipated by the authorities, symbol from the experts of a very strong RAS-BOL, submitted to The most harsh restrictions in the world for two years.