Political Insider for February 4: Ottawa Protest Surprisingly Popular; Ottawa Police Enduring More Criticism; Conservatives brace for imminent leadership race
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New Conservative Leader (interim) candice bergen was greeted at her new job with a thunderous standing ovation of his caucus colleagues and a story revealing that he argued that his party should not ask the Freedom Convoy protesters to go home. Mary Walsh, reports in the Balloon that, while she was deputy director of Erin O’Toole, sent an email: “I don’t think we should ask them to go home. I understand that the mood can change soon. Then we need to make this a prime minister issue.”
As Conservatives debated the content of a possible declaration on Monday, protesters were out on Parliament Hill for a fourth day, blocking streets and ignoring traffic laws. On Thursday, many businesses remained closed due to security concerns, and core residents were the day seven of horns and fireworks interrupting their lives. A Conservative Party spokesman did not provide a response on Thursday to a request for comment on Ms Bergen’s position and whether it has changed.
PPC threat: global David Akkin | has an interesting twitter thread noting that Bergen, who has spoken out in favor of the protest, is coming off a trip where the PPC vote surged in the 2021 election, likely due to objections to health restrictions that led to the honking convoy to Ottawa.
quite popular: The protest, which continues to make life miserable for people in downtown Ottawa, is surprisingly popular with Canadians, according to an abacus survey in the post.
A new poll released Thursday found that while two in three respondents feel they “have very little in common with the way protesters in Ottawa see things,” 32 percent feel they “have a lot in common.” The poll, conducted by Abacus Data, found that public reaction and sympathy for the convoy in Ottawa and similar protests across the country were divisive, with responses mostly correlated with one’s political orientation. Popular Party (82 percent) and Green Party (57 percent) voters are more likely to feel aligned with the protesters, while the vast majority of Liberals (75 percent), NDP (77 percent) and Bloc Quebecois (81 percent). cent) voters feel they have very little in common. Conservative Party voters were split: 46 percent said they had a lot in common with the way protesters see things and 54 percent said they had little in common.
Not popular in the center: The protest may be popular across the country, but it is not popular where it’s happening. Reuters reports about the growing anger in downtown Ottawa.
The city police have he stood idly by as protesters filled diesel jerrycans to recharge their rigs, which continue to run to provide heat in sub-zero temperatures rather than cut off fuel supplies. “For six days and nights, residents living in downtown Ottawa continue to experience unprecedented violence on your local streets,” said Councilman catherine mackenney in a letter to the prime minister justin trudeau Thursday.
The Mounties called: After McKenney sent your letter, mayor jim watson I got on the phone Minister of Public Security Marco Mendocinowho Announced that the federal government will provide Mounties, CP reports. Don’t expect the army though.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister justin trudeau he downplayed the notion of a military response to the ongoing protest in Ottawa, saying sending troops is “not in the cards right now.” One should be “very, very cautious” about deploying troops to Canadian soil in such cases, Trudeau said at a news conference on Thursday. “It’s not something anyone should go into lightly.”
Anita Anand delivered the same point On twitter.
Potential for violence: A counter-protest is being organized for Saturday, in which the University of Ottawa professor Regina Batson warned could lead to violence in a worrying twitter thread.
Poor Police: At Balloon, gary mason wonders why the Ottawa police haven’t done a better job of handling the situation.
Canadians across the country have watched what is happening in the capital with a mixture of anger and disbelief. Why has nothing been done? Sure, no one wants to see the police moving in immediately with batons and pepper spray, but would like to see some sort of penalty for blocking streets and honking horns at all hours of the day. Police in this country have beaten, tasered, and arrested people for doing far less than these protesters. Police are not even threatening to tow their trucks and, as of Thursday, had only issued 30 tickets.
Weapon loadouts: An Afghan veteran from Nova Scotia who attended the protest has been arrested and faces four firearms charges, Global reports.
Although police did not identify the defendant in a press release, a court document identified him as jeremy mackenzie, who was in Ottawa for the so-called truckers’ protest against COVID-19 measures. The host of an anti-authority podcast and YouTube channel, MacKenzie is a Canadian military veteran who served in Afghanistan. The RCMP alleged in a search warrant application that he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
Do not finance them: Parliamentarians are taking steps to bring GoFundMe executives before a parliamentary committee to “answer questions about the California crowdfunding company’s ability to weed out hate campaigns,” the report said. Balloon reports.
On Thursday, the new Democratic congressman alistair macgregor He said the House of Commons public safety committee needs to know what security measures GoFundMe has in place “to ensure that funds are not used to promote extremism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism and other forms of hate that have been expressed among the prominent organizers of the truck. convoy currently in Ottawa.” Parliamentarians on the committee unanimously approved a motion to call company officials to testify. Convoy organizers deny links to hate groups
Tory race: Meanwhile, the newly leaderless Conservatives are gearing up for a leadership race, the Globe reports. It could take until the fall, they said.
lightning mark, the MP for Chilliwack-Hope in British Columbia, said he expected the new leader to be in place by mid-September for the fall session of Parliament. “Because of the minority parliament, we need to have a new leader in front of Canadians, working on his vision, working with our caucus,” he said.
Phones ringing: The Post has a summary from people whose phones are ringing off the hook, including Jean Charest and Patrick Brown. brad wall will not run. Social conservatives hope Leslyn Lewis will be executed. Apparently all eyes are on pierre polièvre.
Poilievre put a team in place in the last leadership race before deciding not to go for family reasons, but a source noted that “people are just as excited, if not more, to support him this time” if he decides to run. for leader. “I think the only thing that is up for debate at the moment is whether this will be a Pierre Poilievre coronation or whether it will actually be a real race for leadership,” the source said.
Sad news: Kevin O’Leary summoned laura stonewho is on leave, to say “there’s no way he’s showing up” this time.
— Stephen Maher