The Trudeau government does not intend to negotiate with the “Freedom Convoy” which has camped outside parliament since Friday or send the army to dislodge it. With police saying they are powerless to move uncooperative protesters, freezing their fundraising campaign appears to be the only stumbling block to a long-term occupation of Canada’s capital.
“We’re not leaving, do you understand? The voice of the trucker who identifies himself as “Marc Canada” echoed in the chaotic hubbub after a press conference by the organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” in the crowded basement of the Marriott Hotel in Ottawa on Thursday .
“We will go see Quebec after”, then shouted the unmasked man.
A few minutes earlier spoke Tamara Lich, the one who raised more than 10 million dollars on the GoFundMe platform to cover the costs of what city councilors described as “a seat” of their city.
His lawyer only answered one question from the media about his strategy to release the funds raised, currently withheld by the platform. He quickly left the room when The duty asked him how much of that money came from outside of Canada.
In a statement, GoFundMe wrote “collaborate with local law enforcement” and take the time to ensure the money is not used to promote violence. The organizers last week received a payment of one million dollars from this kitty.
Ottawa’s police chief said Wednesday he’s concerned that organizers have significant funding to continue the occupation of his city’s streets. Some of this funding would come from the United States, and a federal parliamentary committee will bring in representatives from GoFundMe to try to find out more.
No police solution
In the same breath, the Ottawa police chief has indicated that there “may not be a police solution” to the crisis that the capital is going through and which is infuriating local residents and businesses. Among all the options “on the table”, recourse to the army has not been excluded.
However, both the political and military solutions were quickly rejected by the federal government on Thursday.
“For the moment, it is not something that we are looking at, to send the armed forces against Canadian citizens,” said Justin Trudeau. In 2020, the Prime Minister had similarly ruled out the idea of sending troops against the Wet’suwet’en nation during a rail blockade.
The Liberals have made it clear that they have no intention of engaging in negotiations with the protesters either, claiming that they do not want to “be intimidated”.
“The federal government is not responsible for the obligations that are put in place by the provinces,” said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Thursday. It’s like nagging someone at Wendy’s because your Big Mac is too cold! »
No obvious solution
According to two former police officers consulted by The duty, the City of Ottawa is in a predicament for failing to properly assess the risk of long-term occupation of its streets by angry truckers. They agree that calling in the army would be complicated and should only be a last resort.
“The mistake was to let them settle in, now we’re a little caught up in the problem,” explains former Sûreté du Québec policeman Paul Laurier. Now it’s a political decision in the police, internally. They decide to tolerate. »
He finds it hard to understand why the City of Ottawa doesn’t crack down harder on truckers, either under municipal bylaws or outright Criminal Code offences, such as constant use of the horn, which could be considered mischief. The presence of extremist groups could explain the timidity of the authorities.
“There may be signs that tell them not to stir things up. But there is a lack of leadership, that is clear. »
According to Pierre-Yves Bourduas, a retired deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the police may even have trouble finding the machinery needed to move the trucks.
“There are a lot of towing companies that don’t want to be in that movie,” he said. [La police] rather seeks to reduce tensions, to try to reach a peaceful resolution of all this. »
Ottawa police say they issued about 30 tickets in connection with the occupation of the streets by truckers on Wednesday. Patrols must continue in central neighborhoods “every day”.