Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Ottawa police will begin to end the “freedom convoy” from Canada’s capital and parliament precinct after prime minister Justin Trudeau invoked the rarely used Emergencies Act to deal with the crisis.
Mr Trudeau, who has called the protests against a Covid mandate for truckers and other restrictions an “illegal occupation”, reportedly resorted to the emergency powers following a second weekend of protests, three sources told Reuters.
Canadian authorities will now resort to freezing funding for the truckers, and the RCMP will begin creating “no go” exclusion zones around the parliament precinct to force people away, according to local news reports. The country’s public health minister said anybody who refuses will be arrested in a bid to restore order.
Leaflets have been handed out to the occupants of vehicles parked in the area warning them to go or face criminal charges. A ban on the use of airhorns has been extended for 60 days.
On Tuesday, Ottawa’s embattled police chief Peter Sloly resigned following criticism and more than two weeks of demonstrations.
