Ontario has declared a state of emergency to end the “occupation” of Ottawa and the blocking of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Premier Doug Ford says.
“We are now two weeks into the siege of the City of Ottawa. I call it a seat because that is what it is,” Ford said Friday. “It’s an illegal occupation.”
Calling it a “pivotal moment for our nation,” Ford said he will take action to halt growing protests that are sending a message around the world that the province and country are not safe and stable jurisdictions for business investment.
The premier said his cabinet will enact orders that make it clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.
The protection will extend to international border crossings, the 400-series of highways, airports, bridges, railways, medical services, public transit, municipal and provincial roads and pedestrian walkways.
A violation of the order will carry a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year in jail.
Offenders could also be stripped of their personal and commercial licenses, he said.
The temporary order will be enshrined in new permanent law that his government will introduce, he said.
“Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the rights of a million people in Ottawa to live peacefully, free of harassment and chaos in their own homes,” Ford said. “There will be consequences for these actions and they will be severe.”
Independent MPP Randy Hillier, who has supported and participated in the Freedom Convoy, said his phone was blowing up shortly after the premier finished with his “hateful, inflammatory and incendiary” speech.
“I know that there will be a significant number of new blockades,” Hillier said. “What I can say is the police are spread so thin now with all these existing Freedom Convoys, they are powerless to do anything about it.”
The protesters don’t want a vague commitment to end vaccine mandates from Ford, but rather a complete return to normal life including the right to make decisions about vaccines, travel and masks, he said.
Hillier said the protesters, unlike what others have said, are regular folks defending their freedoms.
However, Ford said most people who went to Ottawa to protest peacefully have since gone home, and the remaining protesters chose a different path.
These protesters, some with children in tow, need to go home, he said.
Regular citizens can’t go about their daily lives and critical goods are not coming into the province, he added.
The premier defended the decisions he has made during the pandemic and added it’s time to heal the divide in society.