Trudeau rules out negotiating with protesters, says military deployment 'not in the cards'
CBC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is giving no sign he's willing to negotiate with the protesters occupying Ottawa who are demanding either an end to all vaccine mandates or a change in government.
The protest, now almost a week old, started in opposition to the federal government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. It has since expanded into a movement against broader public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including provincial vaccine mandates, masks and restrictions.
A news release issued by some senior convoy leaders Wednesday said that while protesters empathize with the plight of local residents, they plan to remain in Ottawa "for as long as it takes."
One organizing group, Canada Unity, is demanding that government leaders either repeal the mandates or "RESIGN their lawful positions of authority immediately."
WATCH: Trudeau says military deployment to Ottawa 'not in the cards'
On Wednesday, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said policing alone might not be enough to end the protest.
"This is a national issue, not an Ottawa issue," Sloly said. "I am increasingly concerned there is no policing solution to this."
When asked if he'd ever consider negotiating directly with the protesters to get them to leave, Trudeau said that vaccine mandates were debated in detail during the September federal election.
"That is the decision Canadians took in the last election, by voting for parties that were supporting those mandates," he told a virtual news conference Thursday.
"So having a group of people who disagree with the outcome of an election, who want to go a different way and bring in an alternative government, is a non-starter in a responsible democracy."
On Wednesday, Sloly said the city is considering various options to end the disruption caused by the convoy protest — including requesting military aid from Ottawa, direct negotiation, a court injunction or the forced removal of protesters. All approaches on the table, he said, come with risks.
Daniel Minden, spokesperson for Defence Minister Anita Anand, told CBC News Wednesday night that the Canadian Armed Forces are not currently involved in law enforcement in Ottawa and have no plans to get involved.
"One has to be very, very cautious before deploying military forces in situations engaging Canadians. It is not something that anyone should enter in lightly," Trudeau said Thursday.
"But as of now, there have been no requests, and that is not in the cards right now."
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