"It's about regrouping, reuniting, it's about honouring the people that started all of this."
A year after the convoy first rolled into Ottawa, it was a far smaller crowd that rallied on Parliament Hill on Saturday, a few of the participants spilling onto still-closed Wellington Street to celebrate the anniversary of the start of what turned out to be three weeks of parked trucks and protest.
Parliamentary Protective Service, Ottawa Police Service and City of Ottawa bylaw officers were out in force and police vehicles blocked off nearby streets, while others were lined with “no stopping” signs.
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Protesters, who appeared to number several hundred, sang the national anthem, chanted “freedom” and waved Canadian flags and placards, some, as happened a year ago, assailing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the “New World Order.”
The event was billed by “Freedom Family” on Facebook as a celebration of the anniversary of the trucks’ arrival aimed at “re-igniting the Love, One-ness, Unity, and Appreciation” for what began a year earlier.
Mathieu Venne, a landscaper from Val-des-Monts, Que., said, “I was right here,” as the protest began a year earlier and on Saturday took a microphone to speak on Parliament Hill.
“I’m the one that put my name on the permit on the hill,” Venne said, adding that organizers were trying to “change our image that people have of us.”
He said that they wanted the event to run smoothly — and that he was working with police liaison officers to make it happen — then head home on Sunday night.
“It’s about regrouping, reuniting, it’s about honouring the people that started all of this,” Venne said, even if some of those people now face criminal charges.
Venne called the convoy “beautiful,” but said protesters understood that Ottawans who were not part of their movement felt “their life has been stepped-on completely.”
A year later — with most COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lifted — he cited people losing their jobs or being unable to support their families due to pandemic measures, such as vaccination mandates.
“For now it’s been stopped, for now it’s been dropped,” Venne said. “It doesn’t mean that tomorrow morning they can’t get up and suddenly say, ‘OK, we’re bringing it back in…’
“I don’t judge anybody. I am letting everybody choose whatever they want. But, at the end, can people respect my choice, too?”
Ottawa Coun. Ariel Troster said she knew that many Somerset Ward residents “are feeling anxious and have legitimate concerns” about the first-anniversary demonstration over the weekend. Troster said in an update to constituents Friday that protesters had permits for a “dance party” on Parliament Hill, but that bylaw and police would be on standby should protesters try to move onto Wellington Street, which has remained closed to vehicle traffic, or other nearby roadways.
There would be zero-tolerance for hate crimes, Troster said, and residents should report any harassment. The city’s 311 line was also “staffed up.”
Parliamentary Protective Service had said about 500 demonstrators were expected over the weekend, but several gates to Parliament Hill would be closed to the public and tours would be cancelled.
On Saturday, several protesters indeed complained that officials had pushed them from Wellington Street towards Parliament Hill and removed flags planted in the snowbanks along the sidewalks.
Police were seen breaking up a scuffle between a protester and a lone counter-protester on Wellington Street. Late Saturday afternoon, a Postmedia photographer witnessed the apparent arrest of two protesters on Parliament Hill following a dispute.
“At this time, there are no issues to report,” Ottawa police said at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Police also said bylaw officers had ordered 15 vehicles towed and had issued 81 parking tickets, while police issued 20 tickets for various provincial offences.
Ottawa’s bylaw department said at about 1:30 p.m. that “officers conducting their duties in relation to ongoing events in the downtown core have been met with aggression” — what happened wasn’t specified — and warning that it “will not be tolerated.”
Police had reiterated that officers would be in position across Ottawa, that residents would see a stepped-up presence downtown and that any “illegal activity and/or attempt to occupy streets with vehicles will be met with a swift response.”
Last week, Ottawa’s new police chief, Eric Stubbs, said the service would monitor any protest activity, which was welcome as long as it was “lawful, peaceful and safe,” but was ready to respond if activities veered from that or people tried to mount another protest involving parked vehicles.
“We will have resources, logistics, traffic, towing and staffing plans in place to address any type of scenario and will not allow the conditions to occur that resulted in the February 2022 convoy.”
With files from Taylor Blewett
