Police intervention will become “increasingly robust” to dislodge protesters who block Ottawa streets or crossing points into the United States, warns the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
“There are starting to be real consequences, to their license, to their future, to their jobs, if they get arrested in illegal barricades,” he said at a press briefing on the Hill. parliamentarian on Friday.
The Prime Minister first said that “all options are on the table” to extricate the angry truckers immobilized in Ottawa and Windsor, in particular. He later ruled out the use of the army, after being asked the question three times, preferring police intervention “in a proportionate way”.
“We never want to deploy the army against Canadian civilians. This is something to be avoided at all costs. It’s a last, last, last, last, last resort. Obviously, in a situation like that, we have to be ready for any eventuality, but before going ahead with a proposal like that, there are so many other steps that we can and are in the process of to use. We haven’t gotten there yet. »
Far from negotiating with the demonstrators, the government’s strategy is to make life “increasingly difficult” for those who choose to stay put. Since January 28, trucks that are part of a “freedom convoy” have been blocking the main streets around the Federal Parliament, mainly demanding an end to the vaccination obligation and the abandonment of all health measures in Canada.
An international problem
Ottawa police have so far been unable to dislodge trucks clogging its downtown, a problem that has carried over to other parts of the country this week, particularly near borders. According to the Prime Minister, this blocking of the borders represents a threat to the Canadian economy, in particular for having caused the temporary closure of six factories in the automotive sector.
“The pandemic will not be over by folding your arms and deciding that it is over, replied Justin Trudeau on Friday. The pandemic will end by listening to science, helping each other. »
According to Justin Trudeau, the federal government is providing sufficient assistance to local police forces, with reinforcements of “hundreds of officers” from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The Canadian Prime Minister met Friday with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to discuss the cross-border impacts of the convoy, in particular. Justin Trudeau reportedly promised him “quick action to enforce the law,” according to the account released by the White House.
Mr. Trudeau says he is well aware that the eyes of the rest of the world are on him, while the Canadian crisis is increasingly publicized abroad.
“These protests here in Canada are linked to a reality around the world […] where people are frustrated, not just with the pandemic but [aussi] restrictions and the governments that protected them. Unfortunately, we are seeing the links [entre les mouvements] who are trying to undermine the trust that people have in their institutions, their democracy, their fellow citizens,” he laments.
Not only did Justin Trudeau confirm that the ‘freedom convoy’ is receiving foreign funding, as reported The duty, but he also estimated that about half of the money accumulated “on certain platforms” would come from the United States. He mentioned that Canadian banks could block the arrival of this financial aid.
No easing of federal health measures was announced this week. On Friday morning, Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos warned that certain border measures could be revised next week. He acknowledged, however, that a significant number of air travelers have tested positive upon returning to Canada this winter, and justified the current border measures by the risk of the arrival of yet another variant.
He offered his own vision of the concept of “living with the virus”, one of the demands of the convoy taken up in particular by the liberal deputy Joël Lightbound, this week. According to Minister Duclos, this consists first of all of waiting for hospitals and health care workers to no longer be overwhelmed before considering abandoning health restrictions. Dr Theresa Tam, who advises the government on public health, defended the decision to impose compulsory vaccination in certain situations, arguing that “there is clear evidence that it works”, in particular to encourage the population to immunize against COVID-19.