2 years later, 'Freedom Movement' plans return to Parliament Hill
Two years after police moved in to end the protest movement that be‐ came known as the Free‐ dom Convoy, some of the same people who took part say they'll return to Parlia‐ ment Hill to mark the an‐ niversary.
While organizers of the re‐ union hesitate to put a figure on the number of protesters they're expecting this weekend, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said it's aware of social media posts and other activity related to a demon‐ stration on Saturday.
In a statement to CBC, police said they've consulted with municipal, provincial and federal partners and are preparing accordingly.
"We are monitoring infor‐ mation and intelligence, and have a robust plan in place to deal with any demonstrations and to ensure public safety," OPS said.
"We also have an opera‐ tional plan to address the possibility of a vehicle-based demonstration that will en‐ sure that there is no vehiclebased protest in the Down‐ town core."
One of the organizers, Chris Dacey, told CBC he's been in contact with police to plan a "safe, lawful and peace‐ ful event," and is unaware of any planned protest actions involving vehicles.
Police confirmed their planning includes communi‐ cation with some of the orga‐ nizers.
"We provide them with our expectations and direc‐ tion on what is lawful and what will not be permitted," OPS said. "We appreciate the cooperation of organizers and participants as well as the pa‐ tience of nearby residents and businesses that may be impacted by temporary road closures."
Gathering church
Protest organizers say a convoy of vehicles is expected to travel to Ottawa from southern Ontario, with plans to gather at the Capital City Bikers' Church in Vanier be‐ fore moving to Parliament Hill.
A poster advertising the event has been widely shared on social media platforms.
Melissa McKee, co-pastor of the church, said one of the organizers coming from out of town has asked people to bring donations.
"We had nothing to do with that," McKee said. "We didn't even know it was hap‐ pening."
Nevertheless, McKee said she'll be on Parliament Hill this weekend because "it be‐ longs to us." at biker
"A lot has transpired in the last two years and when I think of what happened there, during convoy and af‐ ter, I feel like it's the battle‐ ground," she said. "To go there and plant the Canadian flag, that's what I feel like we'll be doing."
Bethan Nodwell, who helped organize the Freedom Convoy in 2022 that blocked large swaths of the city's downtown core and was en‐ ded only after the federal gov‐ ernment invoked the Emer‐ gencies Act, is expecting the anniversary event to be "par‐ ticularly positive and lighthearted."
Nodwell said she's expect‐ ing "a couple hundred" peo‐ ple to attend the event.
"It's gonna be fun and playful, and there'll be speeches and music," she said. "I don't expect anything too crazy, to be honest. But I think that there'll be a really celebratory energy in the crowd."
Court hope
She cited a recent federal court decision that found the Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act in early 2022 to clear convoy protest‐ ers was unreasonable and in‐ fringed on their charter rights decision gives as one reason for optimism. The federal government is ap‐ pealing that decision.
Nodwell and other sup‐ porters are also encouraged by a lawsuit launched this week by a Calgary-based firm on behalf of 24 people and businesses alleging they were "subjected to the unreason‐ able use of the Emergencies Act."
The lawsuit, which names Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, cabinet ministers, banks and others as defendants, seeks compensation of up to $1.75 million dollars for each plain‐
tiff.
A federal committee that decides how Parliament Hill is used confirmed Thursday af‐ ternoon it had received and approved four event requests for Friday and Saturday, but said the details of those appli‐ cation are confidential.
In a statement, Krista Tanaka, associate director of traffic services for Ottawa, said the city had not received any permit requests for a demonstration related to the "Freedom Movement" on Feb. 16 or 17, but confirmed three permits had been is‐ sued for unrelated demon‐ strations, including one near the Chinese Embassy and an‐ other in the city's west end.
"Organizers of demonstra‐ tions do not technically re‐ quire a permit to protest," Tanaka noted in a statement. "The right to peacefully demonstrate falls under the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms."
The planned event comes days after the public release of a CSIS report describing the movement as one that's against "perceived govern‐ ment overreach."
"While this perceived tyranny is widespread across the movement, other narra‐ tives are becoming increas‐ ingly common among adher‐ ents," according to the the
April 2023 brief titled Defining the Freedom Movement.
While the protesters' main motivation two years ago was their opposition to COVID-19 mandates, the report says the movement has turned its at‐ tention to several other is‐ sues including gender politics, globalization and commu‐ nism.