'Progress' in ending protests precarious, feds say, as MPs debate use of Emergencies Act

Federal officials say that while “progress” is being made towards bringing the ongoing trucker convoy protest in Ottawa to an end, the situation remains “precarious” as MPs are sent to work through the weekend debating the government’s use of the Emergencies Act, before voting on Monday.

There are now early signs of a hardening of police enforcement in the downtown core, which started at approximately 5 p.m. EST Thursday.

Some protesters have been arrested, and video apparently shows police detaining convoy co-organizer Chris Barber, although police have not confirmed the man’s identity. It’s appears to be a more targeted policing approach then what was seen in at the Ambassador Bridge but the big push to remove crowds is still expected in the days to come.

“In Ottawa, we're continuing to see progress being made by the Ottawa Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP, and all of their policing partners as they work to end the occupation of Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa,” said Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair on Thursday during an earlier update on federal response efforts.

• Capital Dispatch: Stay up to date on the latest news from Parliament Hill

“To the individuals who continue to participate in this illegal occupation, it's time to go home. Now. To those who have children with them, this is no place for children. Take them home immediately. Take them to a place of safety,” Blair said.

Workers have installed new fencing in front of Parliament, and new red-outlined pamphlets have been passed around to protesters, with police warning “that under provincial and federal legislation, you will face severe penalties if you do not cease further unlawful activity and remove your vehicle and/or property immediately from all unlawful protest sites.”

Media have also been warned that access to Hill grounds and buildings in the precinct could be locked down by the Parliamentary Protective Service at any time.

• Live updates: Latest from the convoy protest in Ottawa

In an afternoon press conference, interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell told reporters that overnight and through Thursday police have begun to "harden" the perimeter around the protests, creating "a secured area" including almost 100 checkpoints spanning from the west end of downtown to the Rideau Canal, and as far south as the Queensway highway.

“The deliberate steps we've taken to create the secure zone under the powers that have been granted to us under the federal Emergencies Act are directly aligned to make sure that we don't see the numbers in the demonstration bolstered over the weekend,” Bell said.

“We have a very deliberate plan that will be methodical and will take time for us to progress through to be able to completely remove anyone from the core. So what I can tell you is this weekend will look very different than the past three weekends.”

Earlier in the day, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino cautioned that while progress has been made, “at this fragile moment, it is precarious.”

Mendicino noted that the blockades in Coutts, Alta., Surrey, B.C., Windsor, Ont. and Emerson, Man. have all been resolved, and that an effort to revive a protest at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor was thwarted.

“I think we all want to be cautiously optimistic that we are coming to the end of it. But in the meantime, as a government, we have an obligation and a responsibility to Canadians to make sure that we're using all the tools in the box,” he continued, saying that's why the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act.

EMERGENCIES ACT DEBATE UNDERWAY

Meanwhile, inside the House of Commons MPs kicked off what will be five consecutive days of debate on a motion declaring the national public order emergency for the first time since the law was passed in 1988.

Government House Leader Mark Holland announced after question period that all parties had agreed to sit on extended hours—7 a.m. to midnight—throughout the weekend with debate culminating with the vote confirming the powers already in effect, at 8 p.m. on Monday.

“The debate we're having in this place, whether we agree or not with the invocation of the Emergencies Act is probably an arguably one of the most important debates that we are going to have in a generation, at least, my generation,” said Conservative House Leader John Brassard.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began the debate, going over what’s now become well-trodden rationale for the government’s enactment of these unprecedented powers.

This includes, as he noted in a letter to premiers earlier this week, a concern that the activity protesters are engaged in is “a threat to our democracy and that is undermining the public’s trust in our institutions.”

“The activities taking place across the country have gone well beyond peaceful protest. These are organized events, and the situation is very volatile. While this may have started in Ottawa, we are seeing flare-ups in almost every jurisdiction,” Trudeau wrote.

During the debate he suggested that the protesters have been “heavily supported” by individuals in the U.S. and internationally. An hour later Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that some protesters’ accounts have already been frozen, with more to come.

• Freeland says some protesters' accounts have been frozen, more to come

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen called the use of the Act “extremely disappointing” and implored the New Democrats—who are backing the motion—to change their minds and vote with the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois against the motion.

Given the Liberals have a minority, Trudeau is relying on the NDP votes to secure the majority support needed to allow the emergency orders to remain in effect.

“Throughout the last three weeks, the prime minister has failed to take meaningful action to de-escalate the protests here or use any tools that he may have available…. And as he has invoked the Act, he has failed to meet the high threshold set out by the emergencies act to justify it,” said Bergen, telling the protesters that they have been heard and her party will keep standing up for them, but they should move their trucks.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh did not appear swayed by this call from the Official Opposition, though he noted that what’s transpired never should have happened the way it has.

“It should have never come to this. Many people right now are rightly concerned about the impact of the Emergencies Act, that it might crack down on protests in the future. What we're dealing with is not a protest. It is not peaceful,” Singh said, vowing to keep a watchful eye on how the powers are being used and indicating a willingness to vote to rescind them if necessary.

“The organizers of this illegal occupation have been clear from the beginning. They haven't shied away from this, they have been brazen about it: They came here to overthrow a democratically elected government. It is a movement funded by foreign influence, and it is fed on disinformation… Any Canadian using their voice to peacefully demand justice should never be subject to the Emergencies Act. New Democrats will never support that.”