Canadian politicians debated the invoking of the Emergencies Act by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to crackdown on the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
The debate was kicked off by Trudeau and MPs will eventually vote on the motion at 8 p.m. on Monday. If a vote on the motion fails, the state of emergency will be revoked.
Arrests of demonstrators began in Ottawa on Thursday, including of two organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
Ottawa police also established a “Secure Area” downtown where more protesters cannot enter. The perimeter includes 100 checkpoints to allow entry for those who live or work in the area, or are passing through.
Ottawa Police Interim Chief Steve Bell said that the next weekend of protests “will be a very different picture” from weekends prior when hundreds of more demonstrators showed up.
Convoy protestors on Parliament Hill have been protesting vaccine mandates for three weeks and have created an encampment filled with trucks, RVs and other vehicles. Ottawa Police Services warned protestors Wednesday morning they could be arrested if they stayed on Parliament Hill.
In a letter to the country’s premiers, Trudeau called the demonstrators a “threat” to Canadian democracy in his justification to invoke the Emergencies Act.
“We are seeing activity that is a threat to our democracy and that is undermining the public’s trust in our institutions,” Trudeau wrote.
Below, you can read a recap of the day’s events:
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