Emergencies Act Inquiry: Mayor says Ottawa ‘lost control’ of protest, creating ‘lawlessness’

Speaking to the Emergencies Act inquiry on Tuesday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said that the City of Ottawa “lost control” in the downtown core during the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protest in February. He said that the result of this was “lawlessness” in the area of Ottawa labelled as the “red zone” during the demonstration — a three-square-kilometre area downtown that encompassed Parliament Hill and a number of residential areas.