Washington urges Ottawa to do everything in its power to lift border blockades and offers its support, while protesters outside parliament continue to violate laws without consequence.
The United States asked Canada yesterday to use its “federal powers” to lift border blockades caused by convoys protesting against health measures.
The US administration even offered the “full and complete support” of the Department of Homeland Security, White House officials said.
The Biden administration is “mobilized around the clock to quickly end” a crisis that is disrupting American industry, they said.
Three border roads between Canada and the United States are now blocked by protesters, which has significant repercussions on the economy.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
This demonstrator, like many others, is organized to stay on the spot for a long time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the Incident Response Group, including ministers and senior officials, yesterday evening to ensure provinces and municipalities get the resources they need to end blockades. .
Meanwhile in Ottawa, the hard core of protesters have organized themselves to stay on the scene as long as possible, thanks to a food and fuel supply system that the police are struggling to curb.
Horns despite the injunction
A sign that they are not intimidated by the police, some truckers decided to honk their horn yesterday at noon, defying the injunction which has prohibited them from doing so since Sunday.
They were visited by police officers who, instead of arresting them, exchanged a few words with the drivers before taking pictures of their plates, while they were surrounded by demonstrators who were filming their intervention.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Ottawa police were unable yesterday to enforce the injunction banning truckers from honking their horns.
The police force also did not carry out the threat it had issued the day before, namely that of arresting all the demonstrators who block the streets.
Overwhelmed police
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly reiterated yesterday that he needed more resources to achieve “faster results to end this illegal occupation.”
At the beginning of the week, Mr. Sloly had asked for 1,800 reinforcements to put an end to the demonstration. Two days later, only 250 RCMP officers were promised.
–With AFP and Camille Payant
The Ontario government yesterday received authorization from the Superior Court to freeze the amount of $11 million collected on the GiveSendGo platform.