[ad_1]
At a news conference Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau renewed his pleas for protesters of the country’s vaccine mandate to leave, called the demonstrations “illegal” and said consequences will be “more severe,” in reference to Ontario’s state-of-emergency declaration.
“The consequences are becoming more and more severe. You don’t want to end up losing your license, end up with a criminal record, which will impact your job, your livelihood, even your ability to travel internationally, including to the U.S.,” he said.
The protests, in their second week, have caused massive blockages in the Canadian capital of Ottawa and at several border crossings. Companies on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border have reported being affected by the protests.
Earlier Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency for the province and said people who broke the law and continued with the blockages could face penalties up to $78,000 and a year in prison. Ford said he would consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply with these orders.
Trudeau said he had spoken with President Biden on Friday morning about the blockade on the border and the presence of Americans in the protests. He said he also discussed the flooding of 911 lines in Ottawa with false calls Wednesday, which Canadian police said mainly originated from U.S. addresses, and the effect of foreign money to fund the protests.
“President Biden and I both agree that for the security of the people and the economy, these blockades cannot continue,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister also reiterated his resistance to use the military to clear the blockades. “Using military forces against civilian populations in Canada or in any other democracy is something to avoid having to do at all costs. That’s why the solution right now is focused on police forces,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link
