13 people arrested following protest of defence industry convention in Ottawa

Ottawa police say several protesters were arrested following an antiwar demonstration outside the CANSEC trade show. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

The Ottawa Police Service says 13 people have been arrested following protests outside the CANSEC convention and police headquarters.

The annual military and defence industry conference in Ottawa drew protesters Wednesday morning, opposed to the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. Protesters from groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Labour for Palestine Ottawa, World Beyond War, and others blocked Uplands Drive outside the EY Centre.

Protesters were demanding the federal government immediately halt all arms exports to Israel and cancel all planned arms imports.

“We’re here because this is Canada’s biggest weapons fair and we know the companies in this building, the military representatives in this building are responsible for some of the worst war crimes on the planet,” Rachel Small, with World Beyond War, told CTV News’s Judy Trinh at the protest.

“We have a vision for Canada that is not based on dropping bombs around the world, that is not based on partnering with Israel and its attacks on Palestine. We’re demanding a foreign policy from Canada that, yes, is separate from the U.S., but is also separate from U.S. warmaking and from its allies’ wars.”

Ottawa police closed the road to drivers and urged the community to seek alternate routes to the area.

“These arrests had taken place after numerous hours of negotiations through our police liaison team with their representatives and with those individuals themselves to move back onto the sidewalk, as opposed to on the roadway,” said Ottawa police Duty Insp. Scott Pettis in an interview with CTV News Ottawa.

Police said an attendee of the trade show was assaulted Wednesday morning.

“Our east investigation detectives are currently working on that file right now,” said Pettis.

Ottawa paramedics say the man was treated for minor injuries and did not require a trip to the hospital.

“At this time, 11 people have been arrested for mischief and assaulting police. There have been no injuries reported,” Ottawa police said on X at 10:42 a.m.

Uplands Drive reopened just before 11 a.m.

Police later told CTV News Ottawa that a 12th person had been arrested at the protest on Uplands Drive.

“People are still being processed, and the incidents are being looked into. This will take some time,” a police spokesperson said Wednesday afternoon in an email. “As of now, a woman is being charged with assaulting police and disguise with intent. She is being held in custody and will appear in court tomorrow.”

The conference event featured a speech by Defence Minister David McGuinty, who said the federal government would take “immediate and decisive action” to rebuild Canada’s military and triple military spending from 2014 levels by 2030.

“We absolutely support a move from Canada to disentangle its economy and especially its military and foreign policy from the U.S.; that’s a positive move,” said Small. “What we don’t want to do is emulate the role that the U.S. has played in the world. We see a role for Canada in diplomacy and peacemaking, returning to a role as a negotiator on the global stage that, frankly, doesn’t look like spending billions of dollars on new fighter jets, on new missiles in space.”

Protest moves to police HQ

Following the arrests, protesters headed to Ottawa Police Service headquarters on Elgin Street to demand the arrested people be released.

A small group of people has been gathered outside the police station since the noon hour. Protesters there declined to speak with CTV News Ottawa.

Police said one person was arrested on Elgin Street for mischief.

Police would not comment on when any of the arrested individuals would be released from custody.

This is a developing story.

With files from CTV News’s Judy Trinh, CTV News Ottawa’s Austin Lee and The Canadian Press