The protests in Ottawa are becoming a regular occurrence, so preparations are under way to prevent disruption in the city during Canada Day celebrations.
Tyson ‘Freedom George’ Billings, a prominent figure in the ‘freedom convoy,’ leaves the Ottawa courthouse after being released on June 15, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
The ‘freedom convoy’ provides a way to express the emotional self-interest of Canadians — mostly white men — who feel they are losing their rightful place in Canadian society.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki leaves Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 20, 2020, following a press conference regarding the mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Allegations of political interference once again confirms the national RCMP culture, structure and systems of organization are long overdue for a divorce from Ottawa political masters.
Damaged wood houses after the San Francisco Earthquake, April 18, 1906.
(Shutterstock)
About 10 million people live in Canada’s earthquake-prone zones. Yet few have practical knowledge of what to do with new early warning system alerts which aim to save lives and protect livelihoods.
People and vehicles fill Wellington Street near Parliament Hill at the beginning of the so-called freedom convoy occupation of Ottawa in late January, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Long-term assessments of the trucker convoy will depend less on questionable interpretations of individual freedom and more on whether the state’s fundamental obligations were seriously threatened.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks across an empty Wellington St. to a news conference on Feb. 22.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Emergencies Act could have been in place for 30 days or more. But 10 days after it was invoked, the government is now confident it can keep Canadians safe with existing laws.
A lone protester stands draped in the Canadian flag at a fence controlling access to streets near Parliament, in Ottawa, Feb. 20, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
If federal and provincial governments don’t step up their commitments to teaching citizens how our governments work, social media will continue to fill in the void with misinformation.
A protester walks with a Canadian flag as police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Linda Mussell, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Suggesting jail or prison is appealing because it is tangible and the process is familiar, but we must ask what is a better, effective and safe way to de-escalate potentially violent situations.
Traffic flows over the Ambassador Bridge joining Detroit and Windsor, Ont., a day after protesters who were blocking it were cleared by police under Ontario’s declaration of emergency.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Racialized and marginalized populations whose protest movements are already subject to ongoing forms of monitoring, infiltration and pre-emptive police action are at risk from the convoy crisis.
A statue of Terry Fox at Parliament Hill was decorated with a Canadian flag, protest sign and hat when protesters participating in a cross-country convoy against measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
When the “freedom convoy” used the Terry Fox statue as part of their demonstration, people were outraged. It showed the public still finds value in protecting a memorial that represents their values.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, surrounded by key members of his cabinet, announces his government will invoke the Emergencies Act.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. His father had invoked its predecessor, the War Measures Act, more than half a century earlier.
Truckers and supporters gather in Delta, B.C. on Jan. 23 before departing on a cross-country convoy that arrived in Ottawa five days later.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The movie franchise ‘Mad Max’ contains a cautionary tale about our over-reliance on fuel for vehicles. This dependence has been highlighted by the ‘freedom convoy’ and its relationships with fuel.
Trucks parked in front of the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa during the protest against COVID-19 restrictions.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
As the “freedom convoy” and occupation of Ottawa drags on, the potential for a violent stand-off between protestors and police increases, which in turn decreases the chances of a peaceful resolution.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, who resigned three weeks into the ‘freedom convoy’ protest amid accusations of police force inaction, listens to a question at a news conference on the protest.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The truckers’ convoy has travelled from out west to Parliament Hill and Toronto. Along the way, the responses of law enforcement agencies are affected by both internal and external politics.
A ‘Freedom Convoy’ has been protesting vaccine mandates at Parliament Hill, but most Canadians don’t share their views on COVID-19 restrictions.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Most Canadians support government measures to help control the spread of COVID-19, according to a public opinion study. But they’re growing weary of the pandemic.
A person walks past trucks parked on a street in downtown Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Right-wing extremism is a growing movement, as the world saw during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Shouldn’t Ottawa security forces have learned lessons from Jan. 6?
Erin O'Toole speaks about climate change at an Ottawa event in April 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
After being ousted as Conservative leader, Erin O'Toole warned the country faced a dire moment of division. At the moment, however, it’s the party he attempted to lead that’s bitterly divided.
People sing O Canada during a rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Parliament Hill on Jan. 30, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The so-called freedom convoy has torn off the protective tissue on what it means to “be a Canadian” to expose an ugly truth.
A woman stops to take a photo of signs attached to the fence around Parliament as the trucker protest continues in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
GoFundMe claims it won’t fund campaigns that promote hate or misinformation. So why is it backing the so-called freedom convoy that’s currently causing so much incendiary disruption in Ottawa?