Ottawa police have officially laid charges against two organizers of the so-called "Freedom Convoy," which has staged disruptive demonstrations in the city’s downtown for about three weeks in opposition to vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions.
Christopher John Barber, 46, of Swift Current, Sask., who police arrested Thursday night, is charged with counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying a court order and counselling to commit the offence of obstructing police.
Fellow organizer Tamara Lich, 49, of Medicine Hat, Alta., also is charged with counselling to commit the offence of mischief.
Both are scheduled to appear in court today. Their charges have not been proven.
Barber and Lich are one of several people arrested Thursday evening. Organizer Pat King previously confirmed Barber’s arrest, while a lawyer representing some of the organizers said on Twitter that Lich had been detained.
Despite police attempts to warn demonstrators of potential arrests if they remain in the city’s downtown core, many have vowed to stay and, as some organizers have suggested, "hold the line."
Promising a very different weekend for the residents of Ottawa, police appeared to take a stronger approach to the downtown demonstrations, setting up more than 100 checkpoints and only permitting entry of people who work, live or have a "lawful reason" to be there. Workers also installed fencing around Parliament on Thursday.
The arrests began hours after Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell, who replaced former police chief Peter Sloly this week, warned that action to remove demonstrators was "imminent."
Police and government officials have often referred to the protests as an unlawful "occupation."
"We want to end this unlawful protest peacefully and safely," Bell said.
Officers from across Ontario and Quebec, as well as the RCMP, have joined Ottawa police in a bid to end the protests.
The latest warnings and arrests xjmtzywcome following the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act on Monday, the first time it has been used since it became law in 1988.
Under the act, police say anyone coming to Ottawa to join the protests is breaking the law.
Powers granted under the act include a ban on public assemblies deemed to be unlawful and the ability to freeze protesters’ bank accounts without court orders.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is seeking a judicial review of the government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, arguing the measures are unconstitutional.
The House of Commons began debating the government’s use of the Emergencies Act on Thursday.
While the powers granted by the act are in effect, the House and Senate must confirm the decision to use the legislation.
A note from House Speaker Anthony Rota says a scheduled sitting on Friday had been cancelled due to a police operation expected to take place by the Hill and other areas of the downtown core.
Government House leader Mark Holland said in a statement that parties are hoping the House can reopen Saturday to continue debate, with a final vote held early next week. The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have said they will not support it, while the NDP have signalled they will.
Although some protesters have called for the ouster of the Liberal government, even offering to work with opposition parties to make that happen, none of the opposition parties has shown any sign they would consider it.
The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa has urged parents involved in the demonstrations to make "necessary alternate care arrangements" should they be separated from their children, as the Emergencies Act prohibits children from participating in the protests. Ottawa police have previously estimated that 100 children were living in vehicles involved in the protests.
A proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of some Ottawa residents and businesses escalated on Thursday, with the plaintiffs now seeking $306 million from truckers, donors and others.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
Tamara Lich, organizer for a protest convoy by truckers and supporters demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, delivers a statement during a news conference in Ottawa, Feb. 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Police make an arrest after a person interfered with a police operation, during an ongoing protest against COVID-19 measures that has grown into a broader anti-government demonstration, in Ottawa, on Feb. 17, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
