A Canadian parliamentary session was canceled on Friday due to a police operation aimed at removing Freedom Convoy protesters, the speaker announced.
“A police operation is expected to take place on Wellington Street and other locations in the downtown core of Ottawa. Given these exceptional circumstances, and following discussion with all recognized party leadership, the sitting today is canceled,” Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota said in an email sent to MPs in the morning and quoted by media outlets.
The parliamentarians were set to continue debate on the decision by Justin Trudeau’s government to invoke the Emergencies Act amid mass protests across Canada.
Rota called on his colleagues and parliament staff who had not yet arrived at parliament, to “stay away of the downtown core until further notice.”
Ottawa police told residents to expect an increased presence of law enforcement officers “in the downtown core” on Friday.
“We know this may be distressing to some residents. Officers are there to protect your safety,” the police said on Twitter.
It also issued a warning to the protesters, saying that “under provincial and federal legislation,” they would “face severe penalties” if they don’t cease “further unlawful activity” and don’t remove their trucks and property “from all unlawful protest sites.”
The Freedom Convoy demonstrations originally started as a truckers’ protest against Canada’s vaccine mandate. However, the harsh measures adopted by the authorities to quell the protests have transformed them into a full-blown anti-government action.