Trucker convoy protests 'need to end' say feds, facing more calls to step up

The federal government is calling for the trucker convoy protests to end and are proposing to plan next steps in coordination with provincial and municipal governments, though as the demonstrations stretch into their second week in the nation's capital, calls continue for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's officials to do more to see the situation resolved.

“These blockades and occupations need to end. Unlawful activities are not the way to offer meaningful involvement in government policy development,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Monday.

After a second weekend of protests and an uptick in tickets and arrests, the city of Ottawa declared a state of emergency on Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, hundreds of trucks continue to clog streets throughout the city and organizers show no signs of packing up.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair said during the federal update—the first of its kind since the “Freedom Convoy” protests kicked off—that the federal government wants to strike a “trilateral table with municipal and provincial partners.”

Blair said that this table would allow the various parties responsible for managing the standoff to keep lines of communication open and respond efficiently to the “fluid and dynamic situation,” beyond the ongoing coordination of senior officials at all levels of government.