The protests against the Corona policy in Canada continue. Now the police chief of the capital Ottawa has submitted his resignation. Critics had accused him of not getting the riots under control.
After weeks of trucker protests against the Canadian government’s corona policy, the chief of police in the capital Ottawa has resigned. “Since the demonstrations began, I have done everything possible to keep this city safe and to end this unprecedented and unpredictable crisis,” Police Chief Peter Sloly said in a statement Tuesday he also declared his immediate resignation.
Sloly had been criticized in particular for allowing large numbers of trucks to block the city center and the area in front of Parliament buildings. The trucks even drove to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official residence.
For weeks, thousands have been demonstrating in Canada against corona restrictions and vaccination regulations. The protests were triggered by vaccination requirements for truck drivers. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national emergency in response to the protests. “The federal government has invoked the Emergency Act to supplement provincial and territorial capacity to deal with the blockades and occupations,” Trudeau told reporters Monday.
Passed in 1988 but never implemented, the law briefly gives the Liberal prime minister the power to override civil liberties to restore public order.
Justin Trudeau: The Prime Minister of Canada is considering using an emergency law, according to a report. (Source: Patrick Doyle/Reuters)
Trudeau met his crisis team last weekend. “We will continue to ensure that the relevant city, provincial and state authorities have what they need to end these blockades and protect the safety of the population,” he said. In view of the trucker protests that have been going on for about three weeks, Trudeau had not previously ruled out the violent dissolution of blockades and called the blockades illegal.
However, the situation in Ottawa remained largely unchanged as of Tuesday morning. A long line of trucks continued to block Wellington Street at Houses of Parliament. The number of police officers did not appear to have increased, according to an AFP reporter.
Blocked US border
The border crossing between Coutts and the US state of Montana has also been blocked for several days by activists showing solidarity with the demonstrators in the province of Ontario, the epicenter of the protests against the corona measures. Other border crossings are also blocked in the course of the protests.
Windsor, Canada: On Sunday, police cleared the blockade of the main US-Canada bridge. (Source: Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
The province of Ontario announced that it would abolish the vaccination card requirement on March 1st. The vast majority of people have now been vaccinated and the number of cases triggered by the omicron variant has peaked, said Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford. In addition, other measures are to be lifted from this Thursday.
Large parts of the population had supported Trudeau’s sometimes very strict anti-Covid course over the past two years. However, the latest studies indicate a possible trend reversal, even if the picture is not yet clear. Some supporters of the 50-year-old also perceived measures due to the rampant omicron variant, such as new travel restrictions and closures of the interiors of bars and restaurants ordered by local governments, as exaggerated.
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