Ottawa police board holding special meeting on trucker protest
CTV
As the Freedom Convoy protest enters its 19th day, Ottawa's police services board is holding a special meeting following the prime minister's invocation of the Emergencies Act.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act—a first in Canadian history—on Monday. The move enables the RCMP to enforce municipal bylaws and provincial offences and prohibits taking part in a public assembly where it’s considered a breach of peace and goes beyond lawful protest, among other measures.
However, it's unclear how these new powers will be used by the Ottawa Police Service, which remains the police service of jurisdiction in Ottawa. The Emergencies Act does not make the RCMP the lead agency, nor does it bring in the military.
Police did not make any public comments Monday evening on the invocation of the act. The special board meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. - you can watch it live on this page.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly has said during other emergency declarations that the Ottawa Police Service lacks the resources to fully deal with the protest downtown. Last week, the city appealed to the federal and provincial governments for 1,800 additional police officers, including 100 civilian members, to help bolster the ranks. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the federal government has sent "three installments of reinforcements" to ensure OPS has the support they need.
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