[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

I have a lot of concerns over the federal government invoking their emergency powers to deal with removing rigs that are illegally parked. There are already sufficient laws on the books to deal with that. All that was missing was the political will. I am very uncomfortable with a government dealing with an essentially fascist demonstration by invoking extreme powers of its own.

[Grey Fox]

Was there any other way for the federal government to get the Ontario provincial government & the city of Ottawa to playball?

[crazy canuck]

Yes, definitely. The city of Ottawa asked for federal aid so that it could expend more resources in policing the situation. The federal government declined to grant that aid.  Trudeau said the municipality of Ottawa has sufficient resources. That was completely untrue.  I don't know what was motivating Trudeau to say such a thing. The best explanation is he wanted to dodge.

There was no need to motivate the province of Ontario. It had already declared a state of emergency. The federal government simply needed to give resources to those two levels of government. Maybe it's one big jurisdictional mess in that the federal liberals want to assert federal power rather than assisting a provincial and municipal government. If that is true this is even more disturbing.

[Sheilbh]

I have a lot of concerns over the federal government invoking their emergency powers to deal with removing rigs that are illegally parked. There are already sufficient laws on the books to deal with that. All that was missing was the political will. I am very uncomfortable with a government dealing with an essentially fascist demonstration by invoking extreme powers of its own.

Yeah - this seems wildly over the top. Especially the financial measures of treating this like counter-terrorism. That does not seem at all appropriate or proportionate - from a distance.

This also seems like an incredibly dangerous precedent to set. I know that during covid we've gotten used to the state basically using act of emergency powers but even so we shouldn't be encouraging it.

[Grey Fox]

City of Ottawa ask for aid without a plan and political drive to do anything. It only reacted when it's citizen started reacting & counter-protesting. They either are a) weak b) in agreement with the occupiers.

Doug Ford cannot organize or lead anything. The Ontario state of emergency was/is political theatre. It asks for nothing & refuse to go to 3 parties leader table.

Weak grifter conservative government once again proven to be unable to actually govern.

[crazy canuck]

@Sheilbh Yep, huge over reaction to what could have been dealt with by simply enforcing municipal bylaws.

By contrast the RCMP had no difficulty removing the protestors from the truck border crossing here in BC by enforcing local regulations. 

[crazy canuck]

City of Ottawa ask for aid without a plan and political drive to do anything. It only reacted when it's citizen started reacting & counter-protesting. They either are a) weak b) in agreement with the occupiers.

Doug Ford cannot organize or lead anything. The Ontario state of emergency was/is political theatre. It asks for nothing & refuse to go to 3 parties leader table.

Weak grifter conservative government once again proven to be unable to actually govern.

You seem to have a political axe to grind inconsistent with the facts.  What inside information do you have to assert the municipality of Ottawa had no plan.  Even more startling is the revelation that the major of Ottawa is secretly a Conservative.

[Grey Fox]

Jim Watson once described himself to be a red tory.

But I was mainly referring to the Ontario government. Municipalities are provincial creation, few ultimate blame can be placed on them.

[crazy canuck]

Jim Watson once described himself to be a red tory.

But I was mainly referring to the Ontario government. Municipalities are provincial creation, few ultimate blame can be placed on them.

Right, the municipality asked for assistance from the feds to provide more resources to deal with the protestors.  That aid should have been given.  As you say, it is not the major's fault the city did not have the resources to deal with it.  That is entirely the fault of the  Feds.  And now they invoke emergency powers?  It is hard to understand why that is at all necessary. 

[Jacob]

Right, the municipality asked for assistance from the feds to provide more resources to deal with the protestors.  That aid should have been given.  As you say, it is not the major's fault the city did not have the resources to deal with it.  That is entirely the fault of the  Feds.  And now they invoke emergency powers?  It is hard to understand why that is at all necessary.

Do you know whether the freezing of the GiveSendGo and GoFundMe funds something that's happening under the Emergency Act, or is it something the Federal Government could have affected without the act?

[Grey Fox]

Jim Watson once described himself to be a red tory.

But I was mainly referring to the Ontario government. Municipalities are provincial creation, few ultimate blame can be placed on them.

Right, the municipality asked for assistance from the feds to provide more resources to deal with the protestors.  That aid should have been given.  As you say, it is not the major's fault the city did not have the resources to deal with it.  That is entirely the fault of the  Feds.  And now they invoke emergency powers?  It is hard to understand why that is at all necessary.

Your autocorrect really hates the word mayor.

It's the Provincial government fault. Ottawa asking the Feds is over stepping. It should have asked Queen's Park.

[Josephus]

You seem to have a political axe to grind inconsistent with the facts.  What inside information do you have to assert the municipality of Ottawa had no plan.  Even more startling is the revelation that the major of Ottawa is secretly a Conservative.

This Feb. 13 article, behind a paywall, says just that. The city of Ottawa had no plan.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/02/13/ottawa-police-want-more-officers-to-deal-with-trucker-convoy-but-sources-say-there-is-no-plan-for-how-to-use-them.html

The Ottawa Police Service has no detailed plan for how it would use the 1,600 reinforcements it is seeking and exactly how Chief Peter Sloly intends to end the protest paralyzing downtown Ottawa, the Star has learned.

That's why the force has not yet received the massive number of extra officers, on top of "hundreds" already on the ground from other outside forces, sources say.

It's prompted the federal government to criticize Ottawa's handling of the crisis as "inexplicable," and suggest it may invoke emergency federal authorities to restore public order or aid civil authorities.

With no policing end in sight to the standoff in Ottawa, Mayor Jim Watson said the city sought a concession from the so-called "Freedom Convoy" organizers to remove trucks from residential areas and to confine their protest to Parliament Hill, in exchange for a meeting with him.

A letter signed by convoy "president" Tamara Lich released by Watson said, "We have made a plan to consolidate our protest efforts around Parliament Hill, and we will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers."

But on Sunday night, Lich tweeted that she had made no such agreement.

"No 'deal' has been made. End the mandates, end the passports. That is why we are here," she wrote.

Even if the organizers eventually persuade drivers to leave side streets, the occupation of Wellington Street seems set to continue for some time with Ottawa police saying it is outnumbered and overwhelmed.

[Josephus]

and now the Ottawa Police chief resigned

[crazy canuck]

Jim Watson once described himself to be a red tory.

But I was mainly referring to the Ontario government. Municipalities are provincial creation, few ultimate blame can be placed on them.

Right, the municipality asked for assistance from the feds to provide more resources to deal with the protestors.  That aid should have been given.  As you say, it is not the major's fault the city did not have the resources to deal with it.  That is entirely the fault of the  Feds.  And now they invoke emergency powers?  It is hard to understand why that is at all necessary.

Your autocorrect really hates the word mayor.

It's the Provincial government fault. Ottawa asking the Feds is over stepping. It should have asked Queen's Park.

It does, doesn't it 

I don't think it was incorrect to ask the Feds for assistance.  Much of Ottawa is physically within the National Capital Commission - a Federal organization.  And the protests were targeting the Federal government. 

[crazy canuck]

You seem to have a political axe to grind inconsistent with the facts.  What inside information do you have to assert the municipality of Ottawa had no plan.  Even more startling is the revelation that the major of Ottawa is secretly a Conservative.

This Feb. 13 article, behind a paywall, says just that. The city of Ottawa had no plan.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/02/13/ottawa-police-want-more-officers-to-deal-with-trucker-convoy-but-sources-say-there-is-no-plan-for-how-to-use-them.html

The Ottawa Police Service has no detailed plan for how it would use the 1,600 reinforcements it is seeking and exactly how Chief Peter Sloly intends to end the protest paralyzing downtown Ottawa, the Star has learned.

That's why the force has not yet received the massive number of extra officers, on top of "hundreds" already on the ground from other outside forces, sources say.

It's prompted the federal government to criticize Ottawa's handling of the crisis as "inexplicable," and suggest it may invoke emergency federal authorities to restore public order or aid civil authorities.

With no policing end in sight to the standoff in Ottawa, Mayor Jim Watson said the city sought a concession from the so-called "Freedom Convoy" organizers to remove trucks from residential areas and to confine their protest to Parliament Hill, in exchange for a meeting with him.

A letter signed by convoy "president" Tamara Lich released by Watson said, "We have made a plan to consolidate our protest efforts around Parliament Hill, and we will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers."

But on Sunday night, Lich tweeted that she had made no such agreement.

"No 'deal' has been made. End the mandates, end the passports. That is why we are here," she wrote.

Even if the organizers eventually persuade drivers to leave side streets, the occupation of Wellington Street seems set to continue for some time with Ottawa police saying it is outnumbered and overwhelmed.

There is a difference between no plan and lacking a detailed plan. Why would someone create a detailed plan until they knew what resources were being allocated?  It is clear they did need more.

Because frankly if more was not needed why did the Feds invoke the Emergency powers under the Act?