Canada convoy protest
A series of protests and blockades in Canada against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, called the Freedom Convoy (French: Convoi de la liberté) by organizers, began in early 2022. The initial convoy movement was created to protest vaccine mandates for crossing the United States border, but later evolved into a protest about COVID-19 mandates in general. Beginning January 22, hundreds of vehicles formed convoys from several points and traversed Canadian provinces before converging on Ottawa on January 29, 2022, with a rally at Parliament Hill. The convoys were joined by thousands of pedestrian protesters. Several offshoot protests blockaded provincial capitals and border crossings with the United States.
This article is about the 2022 convoy protest known as the "Freedom Convoy". For the 2019 convoy protests, see Yellow vests protests § Canada. For the 1935 convoy protest to Ottawa, see On-to-Ottawa Trek.Canada convoy protest
January 22 – February 23, 2022
(1 month and 1 day)
Abolition of federal and provincial COVID-19 mandates in Canada
Convoy protest over major Canadian highways; demonstration at Parliament Hill
No concessions given; Emergencies Act invoked from February 17 to 23, 2022
6[b]
272[c]
2,600+[24]
In late 2021, both Canada and the US accommodated unvaccinated cross-border truckers by exempting them from COVID-19 vaccine requirements to prevent exacerbating existing supply chain disruptions. The exemptions in Canada ended on January 15, 2022, and the US exemption ended on January 22, 2022. Of the 120,000 Canadian licensed truck drivers who regularly serve cross-border routes, approximately 85 per cent were vaccinated against COVID-19 by January, leaving up to 16,000 Canadian truckers potentially affected by the restriction.
Protesters occupied the downtown core of Ottawa and stated that they would not leave until all COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, trucking related and beyond, were repealed. Officials expressed concern about the economic impact of border blockades. On February 11, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency, introducing new legal sanctions on the impediment of trade routes, highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden spoke on February 11 to discuss ending blockades at the border. On February 14, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time since its passing in 1988.[d] Between February 17 and 20, a large joint-operation police presence in Ottawa arrested organizers and protesters, removed parked vehicles, and dismantled blockades from Ottawa streets. By February 21, most of the protesters had been cleared from Ottawa.
The convoy was condemned by trucking industry and labour groups. The Canadian Trucking Alliance stated that most protesters had no connection to trucking. Near a blockade in Coutts, Alberta, multiple weapons were seized, and four men charged with conspiracy to commit murder of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers. Officials raised concerns of some protesters' involvement with far-right extremist groups, including those promoting violence, and that some protesters called for the federal government of Canada to be overthrown. Some sources have called the protests an occupation or a siege. On the political front, Trudeau and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh condemned the convoy, while many members of Parliament from the Conservative Party of Canada endorsed the convoy; Republican politicians from the United States, as well as other conservative politicians and media figures, also endorsed the convoy.
Participants and response
Groups
In the lead-up to the planned arrival in Ottawa, it was reported on January 25 that far-right and white supremacist groups were hoping for violence on Parliament Hill akin to the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[270] This has caused organizer Tamara Lich to address convoy members and denounce political violence, saying that protesters should "hold a peaceful protest" instead.[271][42] Organizers and leaders of the convoy condemned extremist groups, and asked that participants report lawbreakers to the police.[272] They also stated that any extremists found would be "removed" from the convoy.[273] Despite this, some protesters were photographed waving Nazi flags at the rally.[274][275] The Globe and Mail noted that "signs comparing vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jewish people by the Nazis remained" until the clearance.[224] On January 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed concern that a small group of protesters were going to be posing a threat during the weekend.[276]
One of the lead organizers of the convoy, James Bauder, has previously stated support for QAnon, endorsed conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US presidential election, and called for the arrest of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for alleged treason.[277] On February 3, 2022, Romana Didulo arrived in Ottawa with supporters. Didulo, a conspiracy theorist linked to QAnon who calls herself the "Queen of Canada",[278] had called in November 2021 on her 73,000 Telegram followers to shoot healthcare workers administering COVID-19 vaccines.[279] An episode of The Faulkner Focus, hosted by Harris Faulkner, was criticized by The Daily Beast in February 2022 for trying to normalize the protests and anti-vaccine sentiment. The episode said that the protesters were not a fringe minority, but represented the mainstream of society and had international support. The montage of protesters she showed prominently displayed imagery relating to QAnon.[280]
The Facebook page for the convoy has shared content from, and listed as an organizer, the Wexit co-founder and Yellow Vest Canada organizer Patrick "Pat" King, who has previously hosted counter-protests to anti-racism rallies, spread COVID-19 misinformation, and spread the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.[281][282][283][284][152] In December 2021, while talking about COVID-19 public health measures, King said "The only way this is going to be solved is with bullets."[284] On February 8, King falsely claimed that "50% of the Ottawa police force have all turned in their resignation today".[152]
Tamara Lich, the protest's fundraiser, is Secretary for the Maverick Party, a Western Canadian separatist group formerly known as Wexit Canada.[63] Lich was previously the regional co-ordinator for Wexit in southeastern Alberta and a board member for Wexit Alberta.[285] The Maverick Party denied involvement with the convoy on January 24.[32]
Action 4 Canada, which is associated with the Canada Unity group inside the Freedom Convoy, has been called an Islamophobic and anti-LGBTQ hate and conspiracy group; it hosts webpages about the dangers of political Islam, health consequences of 5G technology, and the alleged underreporting by the mainstream media of adverse reactions to the vaccine.[281] Action 4 Canada appears to have been founded by Tanya Gaw, who actively supported the Yellow Vests protests of 2019.[286]
Jason LaFace, Canada Unity's Ontario organizer and official representative to the Freedom Convoy, is also a main organizer for No More Lockdowns Canada, an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate organization primarily associated with expelled Ontario MPP Randy Hillier. No More Lockdowns Canada holds anti-lockdown rallies across Ontario.[36][31]
Benjamin Dichter, who is listed as an organizer on the Freedom Convoy's GoFundMe page, was a speaker at the inaugural 2019 People's Party of Canada national convention, and has claimed political Islam has infiltrated the Conservative Party of Canada and is "rotting away at our society like syphilis".[287]
Convoy leader Dave Steenburg has posted material by Soldiers of Odin, a neo-Nazi vigilante group, on his Facebook page; Jason LaFace, an administrator of the Convoy Facebook page, has done the same thing. LaFace has also posted a photo of himself wearing a Soldiers of Odin jacket.[288][289]
Following the seizure of weapons, ammunition and body armour at the blockade in Coutts, one piece of body armour was identified to have patches signifying relation to accelerationist right-wing militia Diagolon.[290]
Counter-protests
Counter-protests in favour of public health measures were held throughout the convoy's duration. In Ottawa, with protestors in the parliament area spilling into residential neighbourhoods nearby, lawsuits and injunction requests were filed by residents to silence the trucks that were honking their horns at all hours.[291]
Counter-protests were held in several cities on February 5. Counter-protestors forced a convoy of vehicles to split-up in Vancouver after blocking the roadway by standing on foot or with a bicycle on Terminal Avenue. There were few side streets or exit options after the trucks travelled more than 2 kilometres down the roadway, which required the trucks to reverse the length of Terminal Avenue in order to exit the street.[292][293] Counter-protestors in Victoria spread out by the BC Legislature, to be near and far weekend convoy protestors.[294] Some 200 people gathered in front of Ottawa City Hall to demand the end of disruptions caused by trucks downtown. People held pro-vaccination signs in Whitehorse while anti-mandate protestors passed them in vehicles.[295][296][297][298][299][300]
A counter-protest organized by health care workers was planned in Toronto for February 12, but was called off when the provincial government instituted a state of emergency.[301]
In counter-protests on February 12, thousands of people joined the "Community Solidarity March" through Ottawa to demand the end of the protests.[209][302][303] On February 13, a group of Ottawa residents blocked the intersection of Riverside Drive and Bank Street to prevent a newly-arrived contingent of vehicles from joining the main protest.[304] The original group of 20 grew to more than 1,000 people and successfully kettled the eastern artery of the "Blue Collar Convoy" for eight hours and were joined by groups in other neighbourhoods.[209] The convoy vehicles left one at a time under a heavy police escort, after the vehicle owners took down their signs and flags.[305][306][307] The standoff between Ottawa residents and the kettled convoy participants was colloquially called the 'Battle of Billings Bridge' and was commemorated a year later with an unofficial plaque installed in the location of the standoff.[308][309] During the convoy occupation of Ottawa, various individuals gained public note for their counter-protesting.[310]
The protestors' Zello push-to-talk-style voice channels were the subject of coordinated disruption from counter-protestors, including users playing the homoerotic country rock song "Ram Ranch" to "troll" participants and listeners (an effort coordinated under the hashtag "#RamRanchResistance").[311][42][312][313]
Ottawa Police Service response
Ottawa Police Service faced criticism for how it responded to the convoy during the first three weeks, culminating with the resignation of Chief Peter Sloly.[314] At a January 31 press conference, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Chief Peter Sloly described the demonstration as "unique in nature, massive in scale, polarizing in context and dangerous in literally every other aspect of the event itself".[315] He said that starting on January 28, there was a "traffic gridlock" which turned into "traffic chaos" over the next two days, as "thousands of vehicles, particularly heavy trucks" arrived in Ottawa.[315] Security forces included police forces from the federal, provincial and municipal levels: the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Gatineau Police, Sûreté du Québec, London Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Peel Regional Police, Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, and Durham Regional Police who worked with the OPS Incident Command System.[315] OPS Chief Sloly advised people to avoid downtown Ottawa during the weekend protest, adding that "we are prepared to investigate, arrest if necessary, charge and prosecute anyone who acts violently or breaks the law in the demonstrations, or in association with the demonstrations".[316] Chief Sloly said that since the scaling down of the demonstration on January 31, the crime prevention teams normally providing support in around the core, but who were deployed elsewhere during the height of the protests, have returned to their neighbourhoods.[315]
By January 31, with the cost of police service per day estimated at CA$800,000 a day, the Mayor of Ottawa was considering legal action to cover costs.[317]
Patrick McDonell, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons and Director General of Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) warned members of parliament about possible doxing attempts to discover the addresses of their residences in the Capital Region. The letter further warned MPs not to get involved in any demonstrations, to "go somewhere safe", and to keep all doors locked.[318][319] McDonell told reporters that Canada has never been so divided—the thousands of people arriving on Parliament Hill in the trucker convoy represented a "symbol of the fatigue" that Canadians were experiencing after two years of COVID.[319] PPS prepared for approximately 10,000 protesters; Wellington Street, which is in front of Parliament Hill was closed to most traffic; some lanes had been "designated specifically" for truckers; and others for emergency vehicles.[319]
On January 29, the first day of protest at Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was "moved to an undisclosed location due to security concerns".[320][321]
The OPS had called in reinforcements from the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)—Canada's main intelligence service—and were working to identify threats in the convoy.[2] Intelligence reports by the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC), which is part of CSIS, said that some convoy supporters "advocated civil war", had "called for violence against prime minister Justin Trudeau", and said the protest should be "used as Canada's 'January 6'".[322] The ITAC reports, which were seen by The Guardian, warned in late January that "extremists" were "likely involved" and the "potential for violence remained real".[322] The February 8 ITAC report raised concerns that the "online rhetoric" was "violent", and that there were "ideological extremists" who were "physically present" at "some gatherings".[322]
As protesters headed to Ottawa on January 28, the OPP tweeted "OPP advises motorists to avoid travel on Highway 417 and Highway 416 in the Ottawa area, beginning Friday afternoon and on Saturday."[316] They asked that emergency vehicle access be assured throughout.[319]
An article in The New York Times described the Ottawa Police Service as "vastly outnumbered", and "unprepared for the sophisticated tactics, discipline and logistical abilities of the protesters".[323] The Ottawa Police Service has 1,500 officers to serve the million residents of the city of Ottawa.[323] During the three weeks of the protest and occupation, only 150 officers were on the streets in "three of the most affected neighbourhoods over the course of a day".[323] Chief Sloly requested an additional 1,800 early on, but by February 13, they had not arrived.[323] Police experts said that Sloly, who has been criticized for his response to the protests, had a legitimate problem of "lack of resources...given the unprecedented situation facing Ottawa."[324] Some officers were "swarmed" while attempting to make an arrest.[323] On the first weekend, crowds were estimated at 8,000 to 18,000.[9][10]
On weekdays, the number of protesters somewhat declined. On the second weekend, with 500 heavy trucks and 7,000 demonstrators in the downtown core "red zone" as of Saturday evening, Sloly reported to an emergency meeting Ottawa Police Services board meeting, that even with all OPS officers on active duty and the hundreds of law-enforcement officials who came to help, he did not have the resources to end what he called the "turbulent protests".[325] On the third weekend of February 11 and 12, there were about 4,000 or 5,000 protesters and partyers in the city's core, on Parliament Hill.[323] Even after a state of emergency was declared by the mayor, officers were outnumbered and unable to enforce injunctions or regulations.[323]
According to the Times, many analysts have cautioned that some convoy's leaders with military or policing backgrounds helped demonstrators strategize and plan under the guidance of people like Tom Quiggin, "proclaimed head of protective intelligence", who had formerly served as an "intelligence officer for the Canadian military, cabinet office and federal police."[323] and has been described as "one of the country's top counter-terrorism experts."[49] By February 10, Chief Sloly said 250 RCMP officers were sworn in and deployed to reinforce the 1,500 OPS officers.[204]
The response of local police forces to these blockades has erred on the side of caution, with police at each site initially trying to negotiate with the protesters.[326]
Integrated Command Centre response
Plans for the creation of the new Integrated Command Centre were in place by February 12. The Integrated Command Centre was created to help Ottawa Police Services (OPS) coordinate with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and RCMP when the anticipated reinforcements would arrive.[327] As an estimated 4,000 protesters converged on Parliament Hill on February 12, the extra reinforcements requested by Chief Sloly a week earlier had not yet arrived.[327]
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said on February 13 that they are in constant contact with provincial and municipal authorities. Because the situation is "critical" for Canada with the "closing of our borders, the targeting on critical infrastructure, particularly our points of entry by the people behind these protests", it poses a "significant national security threat" to Canada, and we have to "end it".[328]
On Day 19 of the protests, with Ottawa under three states of emergency invoked by the three levels of government, Chief Sloly resigned.[314] At the February 15 Ottawa Police Board meeting, Deputy Chief Steve Bell, who was appointed Interim Chief of Police, told the board that the OPS force had not "yet received the 1,800 extra officers requested".[314] At the height of the protests, there were about 8,000 protesters. Overnight, on February 14, there were "less than 150 people in the blockade" and approximately 360 vehicles still on the streets, in contrast to the estimated 4,000 vehicles at the end of January.[329] The OPS had made a total of "33 arrests and charged 18 people" in the 19 day period.[314] Canadian Police Association president, Tom Stamatakis, cautioned that with Sloly's resignation, politicians "should not 'scapegoat' him for other failures that have allowed this occupation to drag on."[314]
On February 18, Day 22, hundreds[330] of OPS, York, Toronto, Gatineau, Durham Region, London, Hamilton forces, the Sureté du Québec, the OPP, and the RCMP, worked on a coordinated police action in and around Parliament Hill. By late February 18 morning, CTV News and other mainstream media reporting in the red zone, showed police steadily, very slowly sandwiching groups of dozens of the remaining protesters on all sides on separate streets.[331][332] There were reports of a flank of police on horseback behind those in the front lines.[333] Families with children were seen in these final groups of protesters, with police reporting that protesters were "putting children between their operations and the protest site."[331] The police assured that "children will be brought to a place of safety." In a CBC interview, former OPS chief Charles Bordeleau said he had never seen children used before in other protests. He said that the CAS did not have to step in.[332] Pat King was arrested near noon.[331][332] King is described as the final of three major online influencers continuing the protest to be arrested.[331][332] He was later charged of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobey court order (s.127), and counselling to commit the offence of obstruct police.[334]
By early afternoon, tactical officers began slowly entering the cabins of large rigs that had been parked in front of Parliament since the end of January.[331] Two large campers placed by protesters to prevent large trucks blocking Sussex from moving were finally cleared early in the afternoon, with the arrest of a protester in the motor home by five officers wearing full security gear.[331][332] Police allowed mainstream media close access to the frontlines of the tactical method.[331][332] In the afternoon, as some of the remaining protesters accepted the inevitable, they began to clear 30 cm (0.98 ft) of snow from their trucks and trailers in preparation for their departure.[331]
Frustrated protesters interviewed by CBC and CTV who were earlier calling "Hold the line", asked for their "voice to be heard". The last few protesters said, without evidence, that the protest was legal, citing, but misunderstanding Canadian law.[331][332] CBC News on the front lines reported protesters in the red zone, who could leave, chose to stay and be arrested.[332] There were 70 arrests and 21 vehicles were removed by mid-afternoon.[332] CBC's senior defence writer, Murray Brewster, described the police operation as "professional, methodical, and tactical".[332] Police did not prevent truckers or individual protesters from driving or walking away for most of the day. They may face charges later.[332]
Police used a minimal amount of force, even late in the afternoon, as members of different forces began "squeezing" the group of protesters "even tighter" on Wellington Street in front of Parliament.[332] They were not wearing shields or using pepper spray or tear gas, as they wanted protesters to leave, as opposed to arresting them, according to Bordeleau.[332] As waiting long lines tow trucks, brought in by the police, replaced the heavy rigs that had been grid-locking Ottawa downtown, some of the tow trucks' company names were hidden.[332] CBC reported that tow truck companies who had previously refused to tow protesters' vehicles, have been forced through the Emergencies Act to comply with orders.[332] Bordeleau also said that the Emergencies Act had allowed police to set up 100 checkpoints around the city of Ottawa to prevent protester back-filling and to prevent pop-up protests.[332] In response to those who contrasted the February 18 coordinated successful response to the OPS inaction in previous weeks, Carol Anne Meehan, an Ottawa City Councillor, said that the OPS had been severely under-resourced until the Emergencies Act was invoked.[332]
On February 19, police began with a "hard, fast push" towards to the encampment at Parliament Hill. Due to the resistance of protesters, police wore helmets and carried batons for protection.[335] At one point, a smoke device was released by protesters.[335] By early afternoon, more than 140 people had been arrested and dozens of vehicles had been seized.[80] During the question period of the OPS press conference, Chief Bell confirmed that security forces have been gathering intelligence using videos, and that they will be actively pursuing people who have been filmed. The police will actively follow up with identifications, collect evidence, seek criminal charges with sanctions that can include the financial level and licensing level.[336][337]
Results and aftermath
Parliamentary committee investigations
The House of Commons committee structure lent itself to ongoing investigations, in the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) and the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) and the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC).
Early in March 2022, a Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (DEDC) of the Senate and the House of Commons was struck to investigate the events associated with it.[417][418][419]
