A police member stands in front of trucks blocking downtown streets as a rally against COVID-19 restrictions, which began as a cross-country convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, continues in Ottawa on Feb. 9.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
This was, if you hark back two weeks, a protest about vaccination mandates for truckers crossing the border, which, some warned, threatened to damage supply chains that bring goods such as groceries to Canada.
Two weeks later, it is a heavy-equipment blockade to press demands not just about federal mandates but all provincial government COVID-19 restrictions, and it has closed Ottawa streets and businesses, obstructed an Alberta border crossing and is now cutting off a major trade artery, the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.
At this point, it’s incumbent on anyone who lays a claim to leadership, including those who have supported the protests, to say it has gone too far. And to call for it to stop.
It’s also time for provincial authorities responsible for roads and vehicles – starting with Ontario Premier Doug Ford – to warn that those who use trucks as roadblocks will lose the right to operate them.
This is now beyond a question of who is right about vaccination mandates. Political leaders who condone rule from the road are paving the way for such tactics to be used again and again.
The front-runner for the Conservative leadership, MP Pierre Poilievre, has lauded the protest and become its political darling, so now it is time for him to tell the country if he thinks it has gone too far. He could call on the protesters to stop the blockades. On Wednesday, he declined.
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to stop blaming Justin Trudeau for the whole mess in order to ask protesters to stop blockading bridges and roads. You can still oppose federal vaccination mandates, or provincial public-health restrictions such as vaccination passports. In fact, you can support protesting while calling for an end to blockades.
Mr. Poilievre could continue to argue that the Prime Minister should meet truckers, or leaders of other parties. Certainly, Conservatives could keep taking him to task for engaging in divisive rhetoric and insulting the unvaccinated – two of Mr. Trudeau’s own Liberal MPs, Joël Lightbound and Yves Robillard, did that this week. They can do all that and still stand up against blockades.
A line of trucks waits for the road to the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor, Ont., to reopen on Feb. 8 after protesters blocked the road Monday night.GEOFF ROBINS/AFP
Conservative MP Michael Chong stood in the Commons this week to make what should be an accepted point – that “there is no right to blockade.” Perhaps those blockading the Ambassador Bridge would listen to Mr. Poilievre if he suggested they stop. Maybe he is afraid they wouldn’t.
In the meantime, actual rules of the road are being flouted, and while police have to enforce laws wisely, the political leaders responsible for those things should step up, too. That’s a provincial matter, and in Ontario, where there have been blockades in Ottawa, Sarnia and Windsor, that means the government of Premier Doug Ford.
Mr. Ford sent out a statement on Wednesday that said “the ongoing illegal occupation and blockade happening in Ontario must stop,” so the Premier is taking the right position. But it is time he delivered a strong statement, in person, that he will take steps to ensure there are rules for the roads.
The difference between a protest and a blockade, we have found this week, has been heavy machinery. Often, the number of protesters have been small, but the size of the trucks is not.
Mr. Ford’s government is responsible for the province’s Highway Traffic Act, which declares that driving is a privilege, and which is supposed to set standards for commercial-vehicle operators.
So Mr. Ford and Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney should be out in public delivering stiff warnings that drivers who use their trucks as walls rather than commercial vehicles are going to lose the ability to operate them in Ontario.
After federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra suggested the provincial government should revoke commercial-vehicle permits for truckers blocking roads, Ms. Mulroney responded on Tuesday with a letter to her deputy minister, Michael Keenan, saying that the provincial government does sanction commercial vehicles for “repetitive non-compliant safety behaviour,” but only after providing notice and giving operators a chance to respond.
Now, it’s good to insist on process, but if it prevents the minister from telling drivers in no uncertain terms that using commercial vehicles as fortified roadblocks will lead to the revocation of their privilege, then Mr. Ford’s government needs to change the law, pronto, to ensure there are rules on the road.
Residents in a downtown Ottawa apartment building say they are scared after an apparent attempt to start a fire in the lobby. Ottawa police say they are investigating the fire, which residents say came after a confrontation between anti-vaccine protesters and tenants a few hours earlier.
The Canadian Press
For subscribers only: Get exclusive political news and analysis by signing up for the Politics Briefing.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
:format(jpeg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tgam/ZSIO4VB2DNBW5LLGXCX4JEGIUY.JPG)
