Live: Police continue to remove Ottawa’s trucker convoy blockades

Canada is targeting members of the Russian elite and major banks in a series of new sanctions after Moscow ordered a invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

As the so-called “Freedom Convoy” comes to an end in Ottawa, Canadians remain divided on how they feel about the protests.

As the so-called “Freedom Convoy” comes to an end in Ottawa, Canadians remain divided on how they feel about the protests.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday revoked the Emergencies Act after police in Ottawa cleared out anti-mandate protesters this past weekend, and said he doesn’t “think anyone feels there was a low bar” that was set by invoking the Emergencies Act.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revoked the use of the Emergencies Act on Wednesday, explaining that there were “occupations so solidly implanted that police didn’t have the resources or tools available to dislodge them, that emergency is now over.” Trudeau added that the “threat continues,” but that his government has a high level of confidence in the existing tools police forces have across Canada will be sufficient to deal with further disruptions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the Emergencies Act after 10 days that have seen police crack down to clear out hundreds of demonstrators with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” that had encamped in the nation’s capital for three weeks. “Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency,” he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the Emergencies Act after 10 days that have seen police crack down to clear out hundreds of demonstrators with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” who had encamped in the nation’s capital for three weeks.

The blaring horns and snarled streets of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” blockade in Ottawa are no more, but on Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested the work to heal the pandemic divisions in the country that the convoy exposed must now begin.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested on Monday that while protests surrounding Parliament Hill in Ottawa have mostly dispersed and the horns are no longer sounding, the work to heal the pandemic divisions in the country that the convoy exposed must now begin.

Ottawa for the first time in more than three weeks on Sunday as police continued their efforts to put a final end to anti-government demonstrations that immobilized the national capital.Roadways once choked with trucks and protesters opposed to COVID-19 public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government were largely clear, though debris and other signs of the blockade dubbed an illegal occupation by its critics were still in evidence.Ottawa Police, working in tandem with forces from across the country, said they’d arrested 191 people and laid 391 charges related to the demonstrations, though Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said the mammoth law enforcement operation was far from over.“There is another phase that will identify how we maintain the streets, how we eventually demobilize, once we’ve identified that there is no threat of further protests coming to our city,” Bell said at a news conference. “We aren’t there yet.” Ottawa’s convoy occupation mostly clear, but police ‘not done’ with operation yet Bell said charges laid to date include obstructing police, disobeying a court order, assault, mischief, possessing a weapon and assaulting a police officer.Law enforcement is “with every hour” getting closer to delivering on its promise to clear streets and give them back to residents, he added.Chris Harkins, deputy commissioner with the Ontario Provincial Police, said commercial and private vehicle driver’s licenses have been suspended, while 76 vehicles have been seized and towed in Ottawa.But the massive enforcement blitz also drew attention from Ontario’s police watchdog on Sunday.

Ontario’s civilian police watchdog is probing incidents involving Vancouver police and a horse-mounted officer with the Toronto police over incidents during enforcement at the Ottawa COVID-19 mandate protests.

The federal government will continue to implement never-before-used powers under the Emergencies Act as long “as they are required” to help end the illegal blockade of the national capital, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair has said.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said Sunday that they “have active intelligence investigations ongoing to ensure we know people are leaving, if they are trying to amass again to return to the downtown core,” adding “we are attempting to keep tabs on those that are leaving and potentially massing to come back.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said on Sunday that police continued to have “major issues with a group of dispersed protesters” on Saturday night who exhibited “unruly behaviour” with officers who were attempting to install barriers and fencing.

Canadian police are making possibly the final push to clear the capital city of demonstrators who have paralysed it by parking and camping on the streets for more than three weeks to protest against Covid pandemic restrictions.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney tweeted Saturday the province will file a court challenge of the federal government’s Emergencies Act in the wake of convoy protests in Ottawa.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell has responded to a question about an incident involving police-mounted horses on Friday. Bell said “there was two members of the protesters who did collide with the horses.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said Saturday reviews of video footage will be done to ensure the “lawful amount of force was used” as police moved to clear anti-mandate protesters from the streets of Ottawa.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell provided an update on operations to clear out anti-mandate protesters from the streets of Ottawa saying they’ve made “important progress,” arresting 47 demonstrators Saturday for a total of 170.

Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said on Saturday that police were documenting the protests with the intent of pursuing financial penalties and criminal charges against those who have participated.

Smoke bombs disperse protesters as police including the RCMP clear Wellington Street in front of Parliament. Protesters from the "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa are moved from Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill by police officers after blockadi ((Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images))OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Hundreds of police in riot gear swept through the streets of Canada’s besieged capital Saturday, arresting or driving out protesters, towing away their trucks and finally retaking control of the streets in front of the country’s Parliament buildings.With protesters in clear retreat under the increasing pressure of one of the largest police operations in Canada’s history, authorities’ hopes were rising for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said that while some smaller protests continued "this unlawful occupation is over.

During a news conference Friday, Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said that as of 3 p.m. ET local time, 70 people were arrested as authorities work to clear the city of trucker protesters who have occupied the area for three weeks.

Freedom Convoy” that has held taken over the downtown for the last three weeks.Not only were two protest organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, arrested Thursday evening, Friday’s Emergencies Act debate in the House of Commons has also been cancelled.“A police operation is expected in the downtown core of Ottawa,” speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, said in a tweet on Friday.

House of Commons debate on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s use of the Emergencies Act to handle the so-called “freedom convoy” demonstrations has been cancelled on Friday.There is no indication at this time that the additional debate on Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be cancelled, and a vote is still expected to be held “early next week,” according to the government.A note from Speaker Anthony Rota noted the cancellation is spurred on by an impending police operation set to take place by Parliament Hill and around Ottawa’s downtown core.“The #HoC will not sit today, Friday, February 18. A police operation is expected in the downtown core of Ottawa.

Canadian police lastnight began arresting leaders of the trucker-led protest that has choked the capital's streets for three weeks and provoked the government into calling on rarely used emergency powers.

Jason Kenney plans to table a motion opposing the invocation of the Emergencies Act when the Alberta Legislature resumes next week.In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday, Kenney said the federal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act “disturbs (him) greatly.” He also said the Act sets a dangerous precedent because it allows the federal government to freeze people’s bank accounts without a court order.“This is outside of our democratic norms and it’s disproportionate. Yes, the law must be enforced, but we can do that in Canada without resorting to these kinds of extreme measures,” said Kenney in the video.1/ Blockades must end and order must be restored, but invocation of the federal Emergencies Act is disproportionate and unjustified.Freezing people’s bank accounts without due process violates natural justice.This overreach creates a dangerous precedent.

Elon Musk compared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Adolf Hitler in a tweet that appeared to support truckers protesting vaccine mandates – and which immediately triggered a storm on Twitter.Musk, the chief executive of Tesla Inc TSLA.O, in late January tweeted support for the Canadian truckers, who have shut down roads and bridges, drawing international attention to their opposition to health policies pushed by Trudeau’s government.Canadian truckers rule— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2022Responding to a tweet describing how Trudeau’s government had ordered banks to help cut funding to the protesters, Musk posted a meme of a photo of Hitler, with “Stop comparing me to Justin Trudeau” written above his head and “I had a budget” below it.Tesla did not respond to an email requesting further comment.The tweet came as Musk and Tesla on Thursday accused the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of an “endless” investigation to punish Musk for criticism of the U.S.

Windsor, Ont., is calling for residents to treat one another as human beings after police charged a woman for allegedly threatening to bomb his home over COVID-19 mandates.Windsor police said they arrested the 31-year-old woman Thursday for a social media post on a thread about COVID-19 and pandemic mandates. They allege she made the comments Monday, a day after a protest was cleared at the Ambassador Bridge.“Regardless of your opinion on vaccinations or Justin Trudeau or myself or Doug Ford, we all just have to step back and take a breath and realize that we’re dealing with human beings and that we all have more in common than differences,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a phone interview.

Freedom Convoy” blockades in the downtown core, hours after warning participants that their window to leave the city of their own accord was rapidly closing.Video footage recorded by Global News of the arrests appeared to show more than one individual being taken into police custody, but the identities of the individuals are not yet clear.The declaration of a state of emergency by the federal government on Monday means the area where the individuals were arrested, on Wellington Street across from Parliament Hill, is a prohibited place of assembly. Live updates on the continued convoy blockade in Ottawa Only Ottawans with a “lawful” reason for being in the downtown core are permitted to do so, after police established a security perimeter on Day 21 of the continued blockade amid signals that they are preparing to end the demonstration that has paralyzed Ottawa.“Overnight and throughout the day, residents are seeing a major increase in the number of police officers on our streets.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act and give the government never-before-used powers to quash the ongoing convoy blockades.MPs will eventually — though not necessarily on Thursday — vote on the motion. If a vote on the motion fails, the state of emergency will be revoked.

Ottawa blockade that has kept the capital at a standstill for nearly three full weeks are calling the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act a scare tactic.Trucks, RVs and other vehicles with Canadian flags or banners with the word “freedom” in giant letters along their front grilles remain on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, with drivers saying they will stay put until all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions are lifted.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act on Monday for the first time in Canadian history, with details of the regulations contained in cabinet orders published Tuesday night.Under the act, bringing children to the antigovernment blockades, participating in the protests directly, or bringing aid such as food or fuel to those involved could result in a fine of up to $5,000 or five years in prison Bringing children, food or fuel to convoy blockades prohibited under Emergencies Act Blockades are not allowed on Parliament Hill and surrounding streets, official residences, war monuments, airports, harbours, border crossings, piers, lighthouses, canals, interprovincial and international bridges, hospitals and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, trade corridors and infrastructure needed for the supply of utilities including power generation and transmission.The cabinet orders are now in effect but must all be confirmed by motions to be put to both the House of Commons and the Senate for a vote.The government could take until next week to table the motion invoking the act itself, but has only until Thursday to do so for the motions on the specific powers being enacted, which will remain in place for 30 days unless the government revokes them sooner.

Bringing children to the antigovernment blockades that have immobilized downtown Ottawa and shuttered border crossings is among the activities that could net protesters a $5,000 fine or five years in prison while Canada is under the national Emergencies Act.

COVID-19 measures that are being held across the country.The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says it does not believe the “high and clear” threshold needed to invoke the act has been met, noting the law states it can only be used when a situation cannot be dealt with using any other law in the country.Executive director Noa Mendelsohn Aviv warns that normalizing emergency legislation “threatens our democracy and our civil liberties.”This is the first time the Emergencies Act has been invoked since it came into force in 1988, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said yesterday it is necessary to protect critical infrastructure such as borders and airports from the blockades, and create time-limited powers that do not already exist.

Ford says he supports Feds decision after Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act over protests Participants in the so-called “Freedom Convoy” set up last Wednesday along the westbound lanes of the highway at Nauvoo Road, prompting police to close a section of the highway and implement a detour.“The OPP respects the right of everyone to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” police said at the time. “The OPP asks everyone to be patient and respectful of each other despite potential inconvenience.”The closure was approximately 45 km away from the Blue Water Bridge crossing between Canada and the United States in Sarnia, Ont.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act on Monday, amid ongoing protests against COVID-19 restrictions.

Interim Conservative Party Leader Candice Bergen reacted Monday evening to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act to help put an end to the anti-COVID-19 mandates protests. “Conservatives want to see the end of the blockades, we want them ended peacefully and quickly and in a way that Canadians feel that they’ve been listened to, heard and respected by their prime minister.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to invoke emergency powers across all of Canada to quell the protests by demonstrators who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country's COVID-19 restrictions, a senior government official said Monday.READ: Ambassador Bridge officially reopened after weekThe prime minister met virtually with the leaders of Canada's provinces and planned to address the nation late in the afternoon.In recent days, Trudeau rejected calls to use the military but otherwise said "all options are on the table" to end the protests, including invoking the Emergencies Act, which gives the government broad powers to restore order.The government official who confirmed Trudeau's plans gave no immediate details on precisely how Trudeau intends to use his emergency authority.

Addressing a news conference Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed that military intervention on civilians should be avoided “at all costs.” This is why, he said, the solution is focused on police forces, enforcing existing laws and protecting public order are the ways to deal with the ongoing trucker protests and border blockades.

Justin Trudeau consulted premiers about using the Emergencies Act Monday, while an Ontario judge granted an injunction to enforce noise and idling bylaws related to the ongoing anti-vaccine mandate protests in Ottawa.City solicitor David White requested the injunction Friday, saying the protesters were flagrantly violating bylaws against relentless noise, idling of trucks, setting off fireworks, and open air fires.The injunction, which does not have an end date, was designed to give the police and bylaw officers an extra tool to enforce city bylaws, lawyers acting for the city of Ottawa said Monday. Trudeau expected to invoke Emergencies Act to aid convoy blockade response: sources The Attorney General’s office intervened in the court hearing to make it clear that the injunction would also apply to federal property in Canada’s capital city.The protest by antigovernment demonstrators blockading city streets around Parliament Hill is now in its third week and has spread to several Canada-U.S.

Justin Trudeau is expected to announce Monday he will invoke emergency powers to support provinces in ending the blockades and public disorder that have gripped Ottawa for 18 days, Global News has confirmed.One national security source and one source that participated in a Monday morning Liberal national caucus meeting said the government is poised to invoke the act and that senior officials are preparing for an imminent announcement.Multiple sources have also told Global News federal officials are weighing options for the military to help law enforcement with logistics. But there is no plan at this time, according to the sources, to have the military help police in dealing with civilians or deploying into the streets.What exactly are the powers coming into play? Let’s take a look.First, a quick history recap: the Emergencies Act is not the War Measures Act.The War Measures Act was the controversial piece of legislation that Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, used back in 1970 during the October Crisis, which saw a series of terrorist attacks by a Quebec separatist group.The law allowed the federal government to suspend civil liberties, and it was in response to questions over how far Trudeau senior would go in suspending these liberties that he offered the infamous phrase: “Just watch me.”That law, however, was repealed and replaced in 1988.

“Freedom Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, have turned into a rallying point for people opposing the policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s government, covering everything from pandemic restrictions to a carbon tax.Meanwhile a social media outcry has been triggered by images of police mingling with a sea of protesters in Ottawa, helping some put a fallen tent back up, and one video showing an Ontario Provincial Police officer telling demonstrators “I support you guys 100%.”The police department said the officer’s comments were “not in line with the OPP’s values” and they were investigating.At least two members of Canada’s Special Operations Forces are also under investigation for allegedly supporting the protests, the military said. Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge border crossing reopens following COVID-19 protest Hundreds of counter-protesters on Sunday blocked vehicles trying to join the protest in downtown Ottawa, frustrated by what they said was police inaction.“We need to come together as people and say this will not stand,” said one demonstrator in front of the city’s police headquarters who said he was an Ottawa resident, but declined to give his name, fearing reprisals.

Two members of a Canadian counter-terrorism unit are under investigation for allegedly participating in thetrucker convoy protest in Ottawa, Ont., against COVID-19 restrictions, Global News has confirmed.

Canadian demonstrators led by truckers angry over Covid-19 restrictions defied police and kept occupying a key bridge yesterday, while thousands more rallied in the capital as a two-week-old protest showed no signs of abating.

trucker convoy protesters who break the law will be “increasingly severe” as an occupation in Ottawa extends past two weeks and blockades spring up across the country.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting Saturday with ministers and senior officials to see how protests, occupations and blockades can be brought “under control.”“I convened the Incident Response Group again today – we went over the efforts underway to address the illegal blockades and occupations,” Trudeau said on Twitter.

Justin Trudeau says “everything” is on the table when it comes to ending the blockades paralyzing cross-border trade at multiple locations, and which remain encamped outside Parliament Hill.And he urged anyone still participating in the convoys, which are demanding an end to COVID-19 public health measures, to go home or face “severe” consequences.“Unfortunately, we are concerned about violence, so we’re taking every precaution,” he said.“It’s time to go home – especially if you have kids with you.”Make no mistake: The border cannot, and will not, remain closed. Every option is on the table.

TORONTO - Canadian authorities Friday turned up the legal and public pressure on protesters to lift their blockades in Ottawa and at the U.S. border, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning: "This unlawful activity has to end and it will end."Federal, provincial and local officials moved simultaneously on different fronts to break the standoff, which began with truckers and others angry over the country's COVID-19 restrictions and has morphed into a broader attack from the right on Trudeau and his Liberal government, cheered on by conservatives in the U.S."We heard you.

Despite key party figures expressing support and posing for pictures with protesters, the Conservative Party is joining pleas to end disruptive blockades against COVID restrictions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with leaders of opposition parties Thursday evening, where he said he briefed them on the latest developments of the trucker convoy protests and blockades.