Trudeau: Ottawa residents need ‘their lives back’, won’t commit to negotiations with truckers – National

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say that people who live in Ottawa deserve their lives back, because the so-called “free convoy” continued to occupy the streets of downtown – but he would not say whether he would be willing to negotiate with the group leading the protest.

Trudeau made the comment during Thursday’s press conference, as questions arose about what’s next for the rally.

“This is protesting against people going about their daily lives, harassing people who dare to wear masks or follow public health rules. Show hateful approaches, show hate symbols about genocide, about racism. These are completely unacceptable,” Trudeau said.

“And the people of Ottawa deserve back to their lives, deserve their neighborhoods.”

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The protests initially erupted in response to a federal regulation that all Canadian truckers attempting to cross the border from the United States would have to be vaccinated to avoid a 14-day quarantine. That regulation went into effect on January 15th – and the US’s own vaccine regulation for truckers was in place a week later.

But as the trucks rolled toward Ottawa, their message grew increasingly hazy. Organizers were found to have made hateful comments and one person had ties to a hate group. Some participants extended the goal to end all public health mandates. Some have called for Trudeau to step down.

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Since the convoy arrived in Ottawa last weekend, some participants have also been accused of harassing residents, disturbing Ottawa businesses, and flying Nazi and Confederate flags.

When pressed to see if he planned to negotiate with these protesters, Trudeau would not give a definitive answer – but he did talk about the idea of ​​bringing in “an alternative government”, which Canada Unity team proposed in a petition with hundreds of thousands of people. signature, is a “not smart.”

“The commitment we make as a government, if we are re-elected, is that we will be on the side of science,” he added.

“We will continue to do what is necessary to protect people through this pandemic.”

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Meanwhile, as protesters continue to block the streets of downtown Ottawa, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Wednesday during a meeting with the city council that the prospect requires military The support team is undisputed.

“We are looking at all options, including military aid to civilian power. I have had discussions with the mayor, the council members, the board of directors. There’s a process that’s incredibly well-established, incredibly well-covered, and incredibly rare,” he said.

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However, Trudeau said sending the Armed Forces “is not on the cards right now.”

“One has to be very, very cautious before deploying troops in that situation,” he said.

With an uncertain path forward, Trudeau said his concerns remain focused on one group: Ottawa citizens.

“We are there to provide support as needed with the RCMP, with the intelligence services,” he said.

“We know that the people of Ottawa deserve to come back to life.”

– with files from Global News ‘Craig Lord