The occupation of Canada’s capital Ottawa, which has been going on for twenty days, by protesting truckers appears to be reaching its conclusion after police on Thursday arrested as least two organisers and fenced off a large section of the city, restricting it to residents only.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two of the main organisers of the Freedom Convoy 2022, were arrested on Thursday evening as police acted to end the siege of Ottawa before it entered another weekend.
The development comes days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed an emergency on the country to deal with the agitation, describing it as a “threat to democracy”.
The Ottawa police service, in a statement, said, “Under the Emergencies Act, the Unified Command in control of policing in Ottawa has established a Secured Area to ensure that individuals comply with the Emergency Measures Regulations and to ensure designated places (Parliament, Government buildings, critical infrastructure etc) are protected.”
The invocation of the Emergencies Act – for the first time since it was enacted in 1988 – is set to be debated in the House of Commons, with Trudeau asserting that “illegal blockades and occupations are not peaceful protests”.
The extraordinary measure will face also face legal challenge from several civil liberties groups that have planned on taking the matter to court.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) said it will sue Trudeau’s government over the measure. “The government has brought in an extreme measure that should be reserved for national emergencies, a legal standard that has not been met,” executive director Noa Mendelsohn said on Thursday.
Rights group Amnesty International also opposed the emergency, and the Canadian Constitution Foundation, which is also launching a legal challenge, accused Trudeau of setting a “dangerous precedent”.
Trudeau chaired a meeting of the incident response group and a statement from his office underscored the action being taken under the Emergency Economic Measures Order, which is included in the Emergencies Act.Personal and corporate accounts suspected to be involved in criminal activity have been frozen and authority is being provided for all orders of government to share relevant information with financial institutions. This includes increased oversight of monies being raised in Canada and abroad via online fundraising platforms,” it said.
