Canada

The CBC reports: The streets of downtown Montreal were flooded with protesters on Saturday as many gathered against Bill 96, the Quebec government’s proposed law to reform its Charter of the French language. Organized by groups that represent the province’s English-speaking community, the protest sought to send a strong message to the majority government that the legislation as it stands …

The Associated Press reports: Police wearing helmets and shields made several arrests Friday night in Canada’s capital after facing off against protesters opposed to COVID-19 mandates. Big-rig trucks attempted to make their way to Parliament Hill as part of the “Rolling Thunder” rally, organized by Freedom Fighters Canada, a group dedicated to speaking out against COVID-19 mandates. Many of the …

The BBC reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proposed a two-year ban on some foreigners buying homes. The measure comes as the country grapples with some of the worst housing affordability issues in the world. Prices have jumped more than 20%, pushing the average home in Canada to nearly C$817,000 ($650,000; £495,000) – more than nine times household income. …

Politico reports: Justin Trudeau has brokered a deal with the left-leaning New Democrats that will keep his minority Liberal government in power until 2025. The Canadian prime minister announced Tuesday a formal entente that will see the NDP vote with his Liberal minority government on shared objectives until the House of Commons rises in June 2025. Canada’s next fixed election …

CTV News reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will take steps to end the use of the Emergencies Act after it was invoked just over a week ago in response to the ongoing trucker convoy blockades and protests. Trudeau made the announcement alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Justice Minister David Lametti, Public Safety Minister …

The CBC reports: The office of Governor General Mary Simon is telling Canadians that they can’t dissolve the federal government simply by contacting her office. Rideau Hall issued what it called the “important message” Tuesday evening on Twitter. “The Office of the Secretary of the Governor General is aware that misinformation encouraging citizens to contact the Governor General or our …

CTV News reports: Tamara Lich, one of the most visible organizers behind protests against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government near Parliament Hill, was denied bail Tuesday. Justice Julie Bourgeois said the convoy’s effect on the community was immense and she felt Lich was obstinate and disingenuous in her responses to the court. “I cannot be reassured that if I …

The CBC reports: A motion affirming the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act passed a crucial House of Commons vote Monday, ensuring the expansive powers contained in the act remain in use by authorities thanks to parliamentary support from the New Democrats. While the powers contained in the Emergency Act took effect immediately, the Liberal government needed to …

CTV News reports: In the video recorded near Parliament Hill, Sen. Michael MacDonald [above right] expressed support for the protesters who occupied Ottawa for more than three weeks. “It’s a cross-section of Canadians who have said we have had enough of the bullying, and the duplicity and the lies,” he said. Reached Sunday night, MacDonald said the video was recorded …

The CBC reports: On Friday, police began clearing those protesters out of the downtown. Ottawa police then tweeted a plea Saturday for people to “stop calling critical emergency and operational phone lines to express displeasure about the police action.” Hillier retweeted that request, affixing his own message: “Keep calling in a democracy expressing yourself is a fundamental freedom #FreedomConvoy2022.” The …

CTV News reports: Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is suggesting that some of the trucks and other vehicles seized by police during a two-day operation to clear out the “Freedom Convoy” protest and occupation could be used to pay for some of the policing costs. Speaking to CTV News Ottawa, Watson said this could be a chance to recoup some of …

First, a reminder about this nutbag: The so-called “freedom convoy” – which departed for Ottawa on 23 January – was the brainchild of James Bauder, an admitted conspiracy theorist who has endorsed the QAnon movement and called Covid-19 “the biggest political scam in history”. Bauder’s group, Canada Unity, contends that vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada’s constitution, the …

The CBC reports: Around 5 p.m. ET, the tension between protesters and police escalated. Police say the officers on horseback rode back and forth across Rideau to create space, allowing other officers to rush up and hold back the line of demonstrators. At least two people were knocked to the ground during the operation. However, rumours on social media quickly …

The New York Times reports: Canadian police officers advanced on demonstrators at gunpoint, smashing truck windows and arresting protesters in front of the country’s Parliament building, an aggressive escalation in the government’s effort to finally end the protests that have roiled the nation’s capital for three weeks. Officers in riot gear, brandishing batons and rifles, pushed to regain the area …

CTV News reports: Large numbers of police officers are moving in on protesters in downtown Ottawa and making arrests — including high profile organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Pat King — during an intense clash with the demonstrators who have so far refused to leave the area. Ottawa police say they have made 70 arrests as of Friday afternoon …

CTV News reports: Large numbers of police officers are moving in on protesters in downtown Ottawa and making arrests during an intense clash with the demonstrators who have so far refused to leave the area. Images show police moving slowly on a relatively smaller line of protesters, with some being pulled out of the group and onto the ground before …

The New York Times reports: The Ontario provincial police mobilized outside Ottawa’s city center on Thursday, in what appeared to be preparation for a promised clampdown on protesters who have paralyzed the capital of Canada for three weeks. In the early morning, police officers were seen leaving a convention center near the airport where they had gathered. Police vehicles, which …

CTV News reports: The director of communications in the Ontario ministry responsible for enforcing the law is out of a job after she was tied to a $100 donation supporting the convoy blockading Ottawa streets. Marion Isabeau-Ringuette is among several government staffers and associates under scrutiny after their names or identifying information were found in a pair of leaks of …

Vice News reports: Two of four men charged for allegedly plotting to kill cops if they disrupted a trucker border blockade have connections to a shitposting far-right group. Police have posted an image featuring the weapons and gear they seized. In the image, you can see plate carriers contained several patches, an “infidel” patch that’s popular in the anti-Islam community, …

The CBC reports: As the pandemic protest closes in on a third full week in Ottawa, the injunction against honking loud horns in Ottawa has been extended and there are again warnings to protesters of the possible consequences of staying in or coming to the capital. On Wednesday, Ottawa police began distributing written notices to remaining protesters. “You must leave …