Trudeau to Ottawa protesters: 'It has to stop'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the ongoing anti-vaccine mandate protest in Ottawa is "trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens' daily lives."

He says, "It has to stop."

Trudeau appeared in the House of Commons last evening to take part in an emergency debate on the protest in Ottawa, which is now in its second week.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in the House the government had approved a request by the RCMP for additional resources to police the protests.

Earlier Monday, Ottawa's city council voted to formally petition the federal government to assume responsibility for public safety in the parliamentary precinct to free up Ottawa officers to return to protect residential neighbourhoods.

In a letter to Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said in order to "quell the insurrection," the city needs another 1,800 officers in addition to his current contingent of 2,100 police and civilian members.

It's estimated the demonstrations in the central core are costing the city $1.8 million to $2.2 million per day for police alone, and Watson said the city is keeping a tally of all extraordinary costs associated with the protest and will seek compensation from higher levels of government when the protest finally ends.

The letter to the federal and provincial governments comes as an Ontario judge granted a 10-day injunction to prevent protesting truckers from honking their horns incessantly, which residents have argued is causing irreparable harm.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Hugh McLean said his order was temporary because he needs to hear more evidence, but that he heard enough to make this ruling as the protest against COVID-19 pandemic measures continues to paralyze neighbourhoods around Parliament Hill.

Protests selfish or reflection of wider grievances?

Almost two-thirds of Canadians oppose the Ottawa protest against COVID-19 measures, with more than four in 10 saying they strongly consider the demonstration a selfish display, a new poll suggests.

But almost 30 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Leger disagreed with that characterization of the demonstration against COVID-19 measures that has seen hundreds of large trucks create gridlock and incessant noise in the national capital.

In addition, 44 per cent of those polled said they sympathized with the frustrations being voiced by the protesters.

The survey highlights the extent of divisions within Canada, said Andrew Enns, executive vice-president of Leger, suggesting the protesters might have tapped into broader concerns than just the grievances of a small minority.

The Leger survey of 1,546 adults was carried out between Feb. 4 to 6. No margin of error can be assigned because web-based polls are not considered random samples.

The survey found that 65 per cent thought the trucker convoy in Ottawa was a "small minority of Canadians who are thinking only about themselves and not the thousands of Canadians who are suffering through delayed surgeries and postponed treatments because of the growing pandemic."

Fifty-seven per cent thought the convoy was not about vaccine mandates but "an opportunity for right-wing supremacist groups to rally and voice their frustrations about society."

Latest COVID numbers

On Monday, B.C. reported 3,287 new COVID cases over the three-day period: Friday through Sunday. There were 32 new deaths. A total of 987 people were in hospital, with 141 of those in intensive care.

Across Interior Health (IH) there were 999 new cases, the highest number among all regions for the three-day period. There were three new deaths. A total of 182 people were in hospital across IH on Monday, an increase of five compared to Friday's reported numbers and the 28 people in intensive care was four fewer than the previous count.

With files from The Canadian Press