The crowds on Parliament Hill and the surrounding region, where anti-COVID restrictions demonstrators have been protesting for days, have dwindled significantly.
Those who remain claim they will remain until all restrictions are gone, with the head of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association reporting that some protesters have been extending their stays at hotels or requesting rebookings for the following weekend.
According to reports, some participants have been observed harassing local businesses, waving Nazi flags, defecating on residential lawns, urinating on the National War Memorial, and stealing food from the poor. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that he will not meet with anyone engaged.
The Ottawa Paramedic Association reported that paramedics asked for police escorts after rocks were hurled at an ambulance from a truck in the convoy.
But Conservative Deputy Leader Candice Bergen said Trudeau was “gaslighting” the protesters, who deserve the chance to be heard and be given some respect.
She met with demonstrators from her home province of Manitoba, whom she described as “decent people, patriotic, and peace-loving” on Sunday.
The convoy was organized by Canada Unity, which began as a pro-pipeline convoy to Ottawa in 2019 but turned into an anti-COVID restrictions protest once the pandemic broke out.
The vaccine mandate for truckers, which went into force on both sides of the Canada-US border earlier this month, added fuel to the fire and aided in the formation of the larger convoy that arrived in Ottawa last week.
Source_ The Canadian Press
