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Ottawa police are warning of the presence of groups at this weekend’s trucker convoy demonstration in the nation’s capital “who do not share the same peaceful goals” as key organizers.
Acting Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson warned of the situation at a Friday news conference where officials also said Ottawa-area residents should expect widespread traffic gridlock in coming days, and should stay out of the downtown care unless they absolutely have to be there.
The concern comes with the arrival of a convoy of trucks that has been organized to protest the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers.
“While representatives from the convoy have been co-operative thus far, and informed us that their intentions are to hold a peaceful and lawful demonstration, we are aware of other groups and individuals who are likely to attend and are not associated with the main demonstration, and groups who do not share the same peaceful goals,” said Deputy Chief Ferguson.
“We are taking every action possible to mitigate the impacts of this event on daily life in this city, but even with those efforts this will have a significant impact on traffic,” she said. “If you do need to be downtown this weekend, avoid the area.”
The acting deputy chief said that, as far as she knows, the protesters do not have a permit.
Police Chief Peter Sloly told the same news conference that demonstrations around the trucker convoy may continue into next week. Parliament is to resume sitting on Monday following a break that began last month. Plans were made last year for a hybrid sitting that allows MPs to participate virtually.
“We have not received clarity from the core demonstration convoy as to what their end date and exit strategy will be,” said the chief.
“We will certainly be extremely concerned should there be a large set of demonstrations happening in the City of Ottawa, in the downtown core as we resume a normal work week on Monday.”
Chief Sloly said police have come up with a plan for dealing with the protest, but added, “In an event such as this with its ever-evolving dynamic and fluid nature, there will never be a perfect plan and we do not have unlimited resources.”
He said he could not, at this point, name or identify specific hate groups who may be present, but said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, RCMP and their international partners have helped develop a threat assessment for the use of Ottawa police. In the last day, he said he has had a briefing session on the issue with RCMP Superintendent Brenda Lucki as well as the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
“We have national, provincial and local intelligence working on this on a 24-7 basis and even during the course of this conference call, we’ve had new intelligence coming in in regards to local threats,” he said.
The chief said main demonstration organizers have promised a “peaceful and co-operative” protest. “But we are prepared to deal with any individuals or groups that come here to cause harm, or commit crimes or in the course of the demonstration come into friction with each other, and spontaneously crime or violence happens.”
National Security Reporter Colin Freeze and Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Bill Curry report here on events around the convoy.
There’s a Globe and Mail explainer here on the anti-vaccine mandate trucker convoy.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
BREAKING – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s isolating because one of his children tested positive for COVID-19. Story here.
UKRAINE
PARTISAN RESISTANCE IN THE WORKS IN UKRAINE – Ukraine is preparing a partisan resistance that will operate behind Russian lines should President Vladimir Putin order a full-scale invasion and attempt to occupy Ukrainian cities. Senior International Correspondent Mark MacKinnon reports here from the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine.
CANADA ASKED TO BOLSTER EASTERN NATO FLANK – Latvian political leaders are pitching a plan to boost defence spending to better deter Russian expansionism, and are asking Canada and Western allies for military assistance to bolster the NATO alliance’s eastern flank. Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase reports here from Riga.
CANADA
FEDERAL DEFICIT DECLINING – The federal government posted a $1.4-billion deficit in November – down from $15.4-billion in November of the previous year – continuing a trend that shows this year’s federal deficit will not be as large as during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Story here.
DISPUTE OVER MANDATRY RACISM/HARASSMENT TRAINING – One of Canada’s largest labour unions says the Treasury Board will not consider mandatory training on systemic racism and harassment for public service workers during negotiations but Ottawa maintains this is not the case. Story here.
NO LEGAL PENALITIES SO FAR FOR SUNWING PASSENGERS – Passengers have not faced legal penalties for their behaviour aboard a now-notorious chartered Sunwing flight to Mexico last month, the trip’s Montreal-based organizer says – despite widely shared video footage that showed people on the plane dancing on seats and drinking in crowded aisles while the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was spreading rapidly around the world. Story here.
`CONCERNING’ FINDINGS ON MÉTIS COUNCIL FINANCES – An audit conducted on governance and financial practices at the Métis National Council has uncovered “concerning” findings and resulted in a lawsuit against former staff, the current president of the organization says. Story here.
LITHIUM COMPANY PURCHASE SUBECTED TO SECURITY REVIEW: CHAMPAGNE – Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne would not say when he was notified of Chinese state-owned Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd.’s plans to acquire Canadian lithium company Neo Lithium Corp, despite being repeatedly pressed in a parliamentary committee. During a hearing of the industry and technology committee, Mr. Champagne repeatedly insisted the deal was subject to a rigorous security review. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
BANK OF CANADA GOVERNOR APPEARS AT COMMITTEE HEARING – Next Wednesday, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, and senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers, will appear by videoconference before the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. The Governor’s opening statement will be published on the Bank’s website at 15:00 (ET) – his appearance is scheduled to run until 17:00.
THE DECIBEL – On Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, heath reporter Carly Weeks talks about a new pill treatment for COVID-19, how the medicine from Pfizer works, who can take it and why it’s already in short supply. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister attended the virtual National Caucus Winter Retreat.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
OPINION
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on how the trucker convoy has evolved into something far more dangerous: “There is likely a faction of those involved in the trucker convoy, now making its way to the capital, who believe they are part of a legitimate protest. But as well-meaning as some of these people may be, it’s now clear that this demonstration has been hijacked by a fringe element that sounds an awful lot like the “freedom fighters” and “patriots” who gathered at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, and ended up storming the premises in a poorly organized coup d’état. In fact, some of those involved have called for precisely this type of action. It’s something the RCMP, I hope, is taking seriously, regardless of what organizers are saying about this being a non-violent demonstration.”
Doug Saunders (The Globe and Mail) on how Canada is now dependent on the `illegal’ workers in our midst, and how they deserve better: “Relying on undocumented workers isn’t just inhumane (they’re more likely to be exploited) and fiscally unwise (they’re less likely to pay taxes). It can also be deadly. That’s what health officials have warned in Brazil, where there are possibly millions of undocumented workers, mainly from the countries of the Andes, whose clandestine existence means they’re unlikely to enter a health clinic to get vaccinated. There’s a big campaign to regularize them in order to prevent further disease spread in what is already the world’s most COVID-19 infected country. Countries such as Canada and the U.S. have been slower to recognize the pandemic-era role of the undocumented, in good part because of news media and political myths that portray the typical “illegal” as someone who paid a smuggler to sneak them across the border at night. In reality, the overwhelming majority, around the world, are people who entered the country legally at an airport and have overstayed their visa or have one that doesn’t permit work.”
Rita Trichur (The Globe and Mail) on how dairy supply management is again about to inflate our grocery bills: “Good luck getting the frill out of your bill. Canadians are already feeling pinched by higher food prices at the grocery store. Everything from fresh fruit to meat is costing us more money. But brace yourselves, my compatriots, our collective sticker shock for dairy staples such as milk and butter is about to get worse. The reason? Our feckless federal government is more concerned about placating privileged dairy producers than delivering savings to hurting households. Otherwise, Parliament would have censured the Canadian Dairy Commission for its plan to implement substantial price increases starting next week.”
Andrew MacDougall (The Ottawa Citizen) on how Canada’s Conservatives need to restock their support, not cater to what’s left: “The best way for the Conservatives to avoid bleeding votes to Bernier is for the pandemic to end. The best way for the pandemic to end is to ensure as many vaccinations as possible. The focus should therefore be on encouraging vaccination, not providing cover for those who won’t do what the evidence overwhelmingly shows us to be safe and effective. Personal freedom is one thing; not doing your bit for the safety of your fellow citizens is another. More broadly, the Conservatives need to step out of the adrenalin rush of their Twitter feeds and drop into the world of structural problems.”
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