Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, who is facing heavy criticism from downtown residents over his handling of the continuing protests that are now entering a second work week, said next steps could include impounding the remaining large trucks that are parked on the streets near Parliament Hill.
Protesters remain dug in on Ottawa city streets, even though similar protests over the weekend in Toronto and Quebec City have been fully cleared.
Ottawa police took a more interventionist approach Sunday that included dismantling a protester camp in Confederation Park near the Rideau Canal. Then late Sunday evening, police entered a baseball stadium parking lot on Coventry Road, east of downtown, that is being used a logistics support base for the main protest near Parliament Hill.
“We’ve removed encampments in and around the red zone and the core of the area,” Mr. Sloly said Monday morning in an interview with local radio station CFRA. “We are targeting the highest-risk areas with the resources we have available and dismantling them. We’ve been doing that since Friday and we’ve had two major successes. Confederation Park is gone. That entire encampment, [including] the wood structure, all of the fuel… that is entirely gone through negotiation and hardcore planning. We’ve dismantled the fuel operation of Coventry. Gone. Seven arrests, people going to jail. We will continue to do that on a daily basis.”
Mr. Sloly agreed when asked if one of the challenges police face is obtaining tow trucks capable of removing the remaining large trucks, as well as finding tow truck operators who are willing to do the job.
“We saw in, and still see, in places like Alberta, in Coutts, where they tried to attempt heavy enforcement. It was tow trucks that became one of the major logistical barriers to that. But we’re still looking at other options in order to either impound the trucks in place, or to take them lawfully into custody and remove them from the area. Everything is on the table.”
At a news conference later in the day, Mr. Sloly said he will be sending a letter to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to underscore the need for more support from the provincial and federal governments.
“We’re asking for a major push of resources to come in in the next 72 hours,” he said.
Even as he spoke of shutting down fuel supplies, journalists on the scene Monday reported images of protesters walking cans of fuel unimpeded to the idling trucks on Parliament Hill.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, federal ministers proposed a “trilateral table” for the federal, provincial and municipal governments to address the trucker protest. “It is well past the time to bring this protest to an end,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said. The federal ministers said Ottawa is willing to provide all appropriate assistance that is required.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
OTTAWA RESIDENTS, PROTESTERS SCHEDULED TO CLASH IN COURT: An Ontario court is scheduled to hear arguments Monday in a proposed multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit by Ottawa residents who want protesters encamped in their downtown to stop honking their horns. Story here.
POILIEVRE RUNNING – Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, the official opposition finance critic, has launched his bid for the party’s leadership by declaring he’s running to be the next prime minister. Story here. Meanwhile Quebec Conservative Alain Rayes has quit his post as the party’s deputy leader because he says he wants to play a role in shaping who will next lead the party. Story here.
BC LIBERALS ELECT NEW LEADER – B.C. Premier John Horgan is going to be facing a new political foil. Former provincial finance minister Kevin Falcon has won the leadership of the B.C. Liberal party, the official opposition in the legislature. Mr. Falcon, who finished second in the 2011 leadership contest, losing to Christy Clark, who served as premier until the party lost power in 2017, left politics a decade ago to spend more time with his young family and work in the private sector. Story here.
NEW NAME FOR B.C. LIBERALS? – Speaking of the B.C. Liberals, the party’s new leader says he’d like to see the party change its name. Mr. Falcon said he’d like to find a name that people like and can live with, while also preventing a new group from taking the B.C. Liberal brand. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
The projected order of business at the House of Commons, Feb.7 is here.
THE DECIBEL – The Globe and Mail’s Science reporter Ivan Semeniuk explains how the new James Webb Space Telescope is able to see way beyond its predecessor’s range and further back in time. Mr. Semeniuk explains how this new telescope works, what scientists hope to learn from it and why Canada’s contributions are critical to the mission’s success. A link to the podcast can be found here. The Decibel is also available on all major podcast platforms.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in “private meetings” and has no public events scheduled Monday, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a news conference Monday, during which he called for an emergency debate on the occupation in Ottawa. He also accused the Prime Minister of a failure of leadership and the Conservatives of emboldening the protesters.
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen released a statement Monday on Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70th year as Queen. Ms. Bergen has not held a news conference since she was elected interim leader by members of the Conservative caucus last Wednesday. Earlier that day, the caucus voted 73 to 45 in favour of replacing Erin O’Toole as party leader.
OPINION
Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, who is considered a potential Liberal leadership candidate should the job become available, is weighing in on the Ottawa protest in an opinion piece for The Globe and Mail:“By now anyone sending money to the convoy should be in no doubt: You are funding sedition. Foreign funders of an insurrection interfered in our domestic affairs from the start. Canadian authorities should take every step within the law to identify and thoroughly punish them. The involvement of foreign governments and any officials connected to them should be identified, exposed, and addressed.”
This populist conservative force is powerful and militant. And it has found a political voice in Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre, who on Saturday announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party.
Yaroslav Baran and Geoff Norquay (Canadian Politics and Public Policy) on why the Tories need a united and not a headwaiter: “The future success of the party will largely hinge on how capable it will be of finally transcending its traditional factionalism. Under Erin O’Toole’s watch, the residual tribes remained, and continued to yank and pull the leader this way and that, impeding compromise to the detriment of unity and national interest. A successful future leader – whoever she or he may be – will be one who serves not as headwaiter to the factions, but rather as co-ordinator and steward, channelling all their energies forward
Shachi Kurl (The Ottawa Citizen)on why Conservatives’ embrace of the truck protest in Ottawa isn’t helping them: “The CPC must decide if it wants to be a party that meets only the needs of a stringent base, or whether it wants to be the party in power. The Liberals figured it out after another humiliating smack in 2011. The party cast off its senators, and took a tough stance on abortion, leaving some loyal Catholic Liberals on the outs. It shed some supporters to pick up others. Like it or not, these were bold moves, motivated not by staying true to past elements the party base, but by a desire to govern. For the Conservatives, it is once again a time for hard choices. But not hard-line ones.”
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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia legislature is set to open today for its fall sitting.
The early September return has added to speculation of a possible election call later this fall, but Premier Tim Houston will only say that he’s excited about his government’s legislative agenda.
Houston says the Progressive Conservatives still have “lots to do” on behalf of Nova Scotians, but he wasn’t specific about pending legislation when asked about his priorities on Wednesday.
In June, he cast doubt on whether he will adhere to the fixed provincial election date his party passed into law soon after coming to power, which set the date for July 15, 2025.
The Opposition Liberals and the NDP say they are ready for any scenario and remain focused on their own priorities for the sitting.
Both parties say they will highlight the need to deal with cost of living issues, including the shortage of affordable housing and the lack of access to primary health care.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.
In a move that sent shockwaves through British Columbia’s political landscape, B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon announced on Wednesday that his party would suspend its campaign for the upcoming provincial election and throw its support behind John Rustad’s resurgent B.C. Conservatives. This unprecedented decision has left political watchers and analysts scrambling to make sense of the ramifications for the province’s political future.
Kevin Falcon, who took the reins of the B.C. Liberals—now rebranded as B.C. United—in February 2022, delivered the stunning news at a press conference that left many in disbelief. The former cabinet minister, known for his confidence and assertiveness, appeared uncharacteristically somber and introspective as he explained the rationale behind his decision.
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, observed the stark contrast in Falcon’s demeanor. “This is a man who has always exuded confidence, even cockiness, throughout his political career. But today, he seemed on the brink of tears, visibly struggling with the weight of this decision,” Kurl noted. The emotional toll of Falcon’s announcement was evident, underscoring the gravity of the situation both personally and professionally for the B.C. United leader.
The roots of B.C. United’s collapse can be traced back to two key decisions made by Falcon: the expulsion of John Rustad from the party and the controversial rebranding from the B.C. Liberals to B.C. United. Rustad, who was removed from the party in February 2023 for questioning climate change science, quickly capitalized on his dismissal by revitalizing the dormant B.C. Conservative Party. Since then, Rustad has attracted a growing number of former B.C. United MLAs and candidates to his cause, turning the B.C. Conservatives into a formidable political force.
The decision to rebrand the B.C. Liberals as B.C. United, which was meant to signal a fresh start for the party, has been widely criticized as poorly timed and poorly executed. Bill Bennett, a former Liberal cabinet minister, lamented the lack of public understanding of the new brand. “There was no real effort to rebrand and help the public grasp who B.C. United was. The entire process lacked sufficient resources, which ultimately led to its failure,” Bennett said.
Political scientists have been quick to analyze the implications of Falcon’s decision to suspend B.C. United’s campaign. Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia (UBC), expressed shock at the sudden turn of events. “This was a party that, just moments ago, was preparing to compete in this election. To suddenly wave the white flag and step aside in favor of another party is unprecedented. We haven’t seen anything quite like this before,” Prest remarked.
The move has also raised questions about Falcon’s leadership and the future of B.C. United. Gerald Baier, an associate professor of political science at UBC, suggested that Falcon’s decision to expel Rustad may be viewed as the pivotal moment in his leadership. “If Falcon could go back and change one decision, it would likely be the expulsion of Rustad. That move set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the party’s collapse,” Baier explained.
With B.C. United stepping aside, the B.C. Conservatives are now positioned to become the main opposition to the ruling B.C. NDP in the upcoming election, scheduled for October 19. However, the transition will not be without its challenges. The Conservatives will need to decide which B.C. United candidates to include on their slate, a process that could leave some candidates and voters in a state of uncertainty.
As the political landscape in British Columbia shifts dramatically, the upcoming election promises to be one of the most closely watched and hotly contested in recent memory. The decision by Falcon to back the B.C. Conservatives has not only upended the election but has also reshaped the future of politics in the province. As the dust settles, all eyes will be on John Rustad and his ability to capitalize on this newfound momentum.
In conclusion, Kevin Falcon’s decision to suspend B.C. United’s campaign and endorse the B.C. Conservatives marks a pivotal moment in British Columbia’s political history. The move has raised numerous questions about the future of B.C. United, the leadership of the B.C. Conservatives, and the upcoming election itself. As the province braces for what promises to be a highly volatile election season, one thing is clear: British Columbia’s political landscape will never be the same.
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s auditor general says his office has found no evidence of a conflict of interest in the handling of provincial grants for the zero-emission vehicle sector, after an accusation by a truck maker earlier this year.
Michael Pickup says in a statement the investigation looked into accounting firm MNP’s handling of Advanced Research and Commercialization grant applications, reviewing “a significant amount of information” from the company, the government and all applicants.
Pickup says the results show no evidence MNP wrote grant applications for clients, influenced the evaluation process to benefit clients or used its administering of the program to “recruit” clients for the company’s other services.
In April, the provincial legislature unanimously directed Pickup’s office to examine allegations by electric-hybrid truck maker Edison Motors that MNP was both administering the grants and offering services to help businesses with applications.
The Office of the Auditor General says the allegations from Edison, which is based in Merritt, B.C., suggested MNP “was offering to write grant applications in exchange for a success fee while also deciding who received grant funding.”
MNP said at the time that the allegations were “false and misleading.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2024.
