TRUCKER CONVOY AIMS TO ‘OVERTHROW’ GOV’T, CANADA’S NDP LEADER SAYS 

Tue 08 February 2022:

Jagmeet Singh calls for emergency debate in Canadian parliament over ongoing trucker ‘occupation’ of capital, Ottawa.

Canada needs to investigate foreign interference and support for an anti-government protest in the country’s capital, said New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, as the convoy of truckers and their supporters continues to wreak havoc in Ottawa.

Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Singh said the convoy’s stated intent is to “overthrow the government”.

“It is clear that this is not a protest; this is an act to try to overthrow the government, and it is getting funded by foreign interference and we need to investigate and stop that – stop the flow of that foreign interference, particularly coming from the [United] States,” said Singh, whose party has the fourth-most seats in the House of Commons.

“We are calling for an emergency debate in parliament to respond to the convoy and to the escalating tensions that we’re seeing,” he added.

The convoy of Canadian truckers and their supporters began arriving in Ottawa on January 28 to denounce an order requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to cross Canada’s land border with the United States.

The so-called “Freedom Convoy” was organised by known far-right figures who have espoused Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and other hateful views, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network non-profit group reported. Protesters marched through Ottawa on January 29, while several have pledged to stay in the city, home to about 1 million people, until all coronavirus restrictions are lifted in Canada.

Irene doesnt have any policy positions other than spouting far right fear mongering such as her complete support for the “trucker” protest in Ottawa which has become a White Nationalist Neo Nazi protest. This is who Irene is: pic.twitter.com/INrSeVmzL5

— LRC (@Eptresist) February 7, 2022

Anti-vaccine protesters in Canada flew Nazi flags and forced a homeless shelter to give them food in Ottawa this weekend.

The protests, continuing on Monday, are over a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S. border — though about 85% of truckers are already vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/OHrhlJYbkZ

— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 31, 2022

A memorandum of understanding drafted by some convoy organisers calls on the Senate and Governor General to agree to lift all such curbs, including vaccine mandates, vaccine passports and coronavirus-related fines, or “RESIGN their lawful positions of authority Immediately”.

Convoy participants have honked their horns incessantly for several days, blocked residential streets, set off fireworks late at night, harassed local residents, and generally disrupted daily life in the downtown core of the capital.

On Monday afternoon, an Ottawa judge granted a 10-day, interim injunction prohibiting convoy participants from honking their horns near downtown. The decision came in response to a proposed, class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of local residents. “Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I’m aware of,” Justice Hugh McLean said as reported by CBC News.

Meanwhile, during the weekend, GoFundMe announced that it was taking down a fundraiser that had raised several million dollars for the convoy because it violated the company’s terms of service. It said it would refund all contributions. “We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity,” GoFundMe said.

“Under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop,” Bruce Heyman, who served as US ambassador to Canada under former President Barack Obama, tweeted on Saturday.

Under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop.

— Bruce A. Heyman (@BruceAHeyman) February 6, 2022

 

But GoFundMe’s decision drew condemnation from right-wing leaders in the US, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who said the move to “commandeer $9M in donations” was fraudulent and pledged to launch an investigation.

Back in Ottawa, residents have described the ongoing protest as an “occupation” and Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency on Sunday.

The move, Watson said in a statement, “reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government”.

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS), which at the start of the protest said its officers “have avoided ticketing and towing vehicle[s] so as not to instigate confrontations with demonstrators”, has faced widespread criticism for its response to the convoy.

On Sunday, OPS said seven people had been arrested, 100 tickets were issued, and more than 60 criminal investigations have been launched. That night, police began removing gas and propane tanks at an encampment used by the protesters, Ottawa journalist Judy Trihn reported.