The blaring horns and snarled streets of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” blockade in Ottawa are no more, but on Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested the work to heal the pandemic divisions in the country that the convoy exposed must now begin.
That comes hours before a vote on the unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act in the House of Commons, which two Liberal MPs said Monday will be a confidence vote.
“There’s no doubt that the last weeks have been difficult, that the last years have been painful, and that there are still challenges ahead of us. But we can’t let anger divide us,” said Trudeau in a press conference.
“More than ever, now is the time to work together. It’s also the time to reflect on the kind of future we want for our country. There’s a lesson for all of us in what happened this month. We don’t know when this pandemic is going to end, but that doesn’t mean we cannot start healing as a nation.”
The convoy blockade encamped in Ottawa on Jan. 28. While numbers fluctuated over the next three weeks, many protesters refused to move until a large-scale police operation began on Feb. 18.
Comprised of tactical teams from multiple jurisdictions, the operation involved police moving progressively and methodically in gaining back control of the nation’s capital, street by street, arresting nearly 200 convoy participants in the process. Nearly 400 charges have now been laid.
For weeks though, police as well as local and provincial leaders faced heated criticism for a lack of action in preventing the convoy from encamping, as well as the subsequent lack of enforcement amid what has widely been described as the “lawless” conduct of the convoy.
Police received hundreds of complaints alleging hate-related incidents. They opened more than 100 criminal investigations into alleged harassment, intimidation and assaults on Ottawa residents by the convoy.
On Feb. 14, amid continued lack of action from municipal and provincial authorities, Trudeau announced he was invoking the Emergencies Act — a never-before-used piece of legislation.
2:57 Trucker protests: Police retake control of Parliament Hill
Trucker protests: Police retake control of Parliament Hill
Under the law, the government had to introduce a motion in both the House of Commons and another one in the Senate stating its reasons for doing so. And if that vote — set for Monday night — fails, then the state of emergency in effect under the Act is immediately revoked.
Trudeau was asked twice whether he will declare the vote a matter of confidence, which would up the stakes for the government by putting their authority to govern on the line.
“I have total confidence that the majority of parliamentarians this evening will vote to protect the rule of law,” Trudeau said.
“I can’t imagine that anyone who votes ‘no’ tonight is doing anything other than indicating that they don’t trust the government to make incredibly momentous and important decisions at a very important time.”
He did not, though, give a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as he has done in the past when declaring discretionary confidence votes. A spokesperson for Government House Leader Mark Holland also did not clarify, while Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith told the House of Commons on Monday afternoon it would be so.
A second Liberal MP confirmed to Global News the vote will be a confidence matter.
What convoy accounts are being frozen?
Trudeau also did not indicate if the government has an end date in mind for the powers authorized under the Emergencies Act, which will otherwise expire 30 days from Feb. 14.
He said there remains uncertainty about how the convoy participants will respond to the clearing of the downtown core, citing individuals still in the area who are supporting the effort and “pre-positioning.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also addressed questions over the financial sanctions for supporters of the convoy, and in particular a handful of posts on social media suggesting that people who donated small amounts to the convoy have had their bank accounts frozen.
“It’s important for all of us to be very, very careful to get our facts exactly right in each circumstance,” Freeland said when asked about the reports, some of which have been shared by Conservatives.
“The RCMP has given to the financial institutions names of leaders and organizers of the protest, and of people whose trucks were part of occupations and blockades. That is the only information, according to the RCMP that the RCMP has given to financial institutions.”
Freeland said the power for banks to freeze those accounts only applied as of Feb. 15.
“For anyone who is concerned that their accounts may have been frozen because of their participation in these illegal blockades, the way to get your account unfrozen is to stop being part,” Freeland said.
“These measures were put in place to disrupt illegal blockades.”
3:30 Trucker protests: Freeland says need to be ‘very careful’ on facts over financial measures
Trucker protests: Freeland says need to be ‘very careful’ on facts over financial measures
The RCMP also issued a statement on Monday saying that they have not shared any information of donors with financial institutions.
“Under the Emergency Economic Measures Order (Emergencies Act), the list that was provided to Financial Institutions included identities of individuals who were influencers in the illegal protest in Ottawa, and owners and/or drivers of vehicles who did not want to leave the area impacted by the protest,” the national policing force said.
“At no time, did we provide a list of donors to Financial Institutions. We are now working with the banks to build a process to address the accounts that were frozen.”
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on the weekend that roughly 76 accounts worth a total of $3.2 million have been frozen for supporting the convoy under the new emergency powers.
Debate on a separate motion affirming the Emergencies Act invocation was tabled in the Senate on Monday, with debate expected to start on Tuesday. No date has yet been set for that vote.
With a file from Global’s David Akin.
2:00 ‘The consequences are real’: Freeland says action has begun on cutting off convoy funds
‘The consequences are real’: Freeland says action has begun on cutting off convoy funds
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
