Protesters rally on Parliament Hill on anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' removal

A group of "Freedom Convoy" supporters rallied on Parliament Hill and marched through downtown Ottawa Saturday on the anniversary of the police operation to remove the entrenched convoy protesters from Ottawa.

A massive police operation with hundreds of officers began Feb. 18, 2022 to push out the protesters who had occupied downtown Ottawa streets for three weeks. It would take multiple days to clear the parliamentary precinct.

The rally on Parliament Hill Saturday comes a day after Justice Paul Rouleau released his findings into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act to quell the convoy protests in Ottawa and at border crossings in Alberta and Manitoba, which found, "with reluctance", that the government was justified in using the legislation.

Protesters could be seen with many of the usual symbols and signs of the "Freedom Convoy" movement, including anti-vaccine messages and denouncements of the prime minister.

"I was removed last February with everyone else from the city when the Emergencies Act was invoked," said Jeremy Glass. "Basically, my purpose is to protest my federal government and to practice my right to free assembly and freedom of speech and to be acknowledged by the federal government."

Olga Jenney, a protester who came to Ottawa from Toronto, said she disagreed with Rouleau's report finding that the protest was unsafe and chaotic.

"Personally, I don’t feel that it was an occupation. It was a group of individuals protecting their families," Jenney said. "None of it, to my view, was hostile, or dangerous. It was peaceful."

Counter-protesters were also on the hill to oppose the pro-convoy demonstrators.

"(I'm here to) show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and remind the convoy that Ottawa doesn’t appreciate their actions," said Gary, who did not give his last name. "We remember what we they did to us a year ago."

Police kept the two sides separate.

The Ottawa Police Service stepped up its presence in downtown Ottawa Saturday because of the possibility of protests on another convoy-related anniversary and in the wake of the Public Order Emergency Commission report. There are increased parking restrictions throughout downtown Ottawa. Access to Parliament Hill was limited and the Parliamentary Protective Service warned demonstrators that several items are prohibited, such as fireworks, alcohol, and weapons. Wellington Street remains closed to vehicular traffic.

Police later advised residents of a march through downtown Ottawa and the ByWard Market. Police temporarily blocked access to Sparks and Elgin streets to prevent the protest from disrupting Winterlude events.

Due to a demonstration, police are blocking Sparks and Elgin to prevent major disruptions to Winterlude activities.

Winterlude attendees: please find an alternate entrance to the event.

— Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) February 18, 2023

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante said people have the right to protest, but not to occupy streets for weeks.

"We know with the commission some people may be aggravated, happy or unhappy with that, and they may want to take to the streets to protest, and they have every right to protest, but they don’t have a right to take over our streets for weeks and weeks on end," she said. "I think that we are not going to see a protest like we saw a year ago ever again in this city. We are seeing more and more collaboration between the different levels of law enforcement, between the feds and the province."

Plante said she thinks the federal government should help shoulder some of the financial burden of having to field extra police during protests against the federal government.

"The police are in place and going forward now we have to figure out is this the way it’s going to be," she said. "If it is, then we need to ask the feds for more money for the police response because these protestors are angry at the federal government, they are not angry at the municipal government."

Ottawa police are the police of jurisdiction throughout downtown Ottawa, including Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings. Ottawa city council has voted to reopen the street to vehicles in the short-term this spring, but discussions continue with the federal government about the future of the historic street that became the epicentre to the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration. 

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy.