Protesters returned to Ottawa in significantly smaller numbers today to mark the one-year anniversary of the Liberal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act. Increased temporary security measures are seen blocking access to Parliament Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 in Ottawa.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Protesters returned to Ottawa in significantly smaller numbers today to mark the one-year anniversary of the Liberal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act.
City officials said more police and bylaw officers would be on patrol today due to possible “convoy activity,” a year after the “Freedom Convoy” blockaded the city’s downtown and several Canada-U.S. border crossings.
Only about a dozen protesters were present on Parliament Hill by midday, amid a heightened police presence in the area.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says he is looking forward to receiving a report from the Public Order Emergency Commission, which investigated the federal government’s decision to invoke the law.
Justice Paul Rouleau’s report comes after the commission reviewed thousands of documents and heard from dozens of high-level witnesses, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, during public hearings last fall.
The report is expected to be released no later than Monday, and Mendicino says he is expecting it will include recommendations and lessons for the government to review.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2023.
