Canada rules out use of troops against Ottawa trucker Covid-19 protests
- Canada’s capital beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid-19 vaccines
- Ottawa police said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military
More than 200 trucks and other vehicles have been blockading downtown roads in the nation’s capital since last Friday in what is an unprecedented protest by Canadian standards.
Organisers say drivers plan to hold similar protests in Toronto, the country’s most populous city and its financial hub, and Quebec City later this week amid growing frustration over almost two years of restrictions imposed to fight Covid-19.
Ottawa residents are angry that local police are largely watching the demonstrations rather than moving in to break them up. The city’s police chief on Wednesday indicated guns were being smuggled into the protest and said using the military was an option, but Trudeau dismissed the idea.
“There is no question of sending in the army,” the prime minister said.
