As the nation’s capital prepares for the expected protests of the “freedom” movement against the mandate over the weekend of Canada Day, interim conservative leader Candice Bergen says her lawmakers are free to attend.
“I support peaceful and legitimate demonstrations, and if my MPs want to be there, they are free to do whatever they want and will answer to their constituents,” Bergen said in an interview with CTV in question on Sunday.
The events will take place in Ottawa around the national holiday, in protest of the remaining restrictions on COVID-19. Participants from this year’s Freedom Convoy, the occupation of Wellington Street and the parliamentary section are expected to return. One group, Veterans of Freedom, said it planned to set up camp all summer on the outskirts of the city – to continue protesting against the remaining restrictions on COVID-19.
Ottawa police say they plan to call for support from the RCMP and will set up a motor vehicle control zone in the core for the national holiday, promising not to allow a repeat of the mandate against vaccines and largely anti-government protests that have blocked the streets of the city center and tortured residents in January and February.
Last week, several senior figures from the convoy returned to Parliament Hill and met with more than 20 Conservative MPs, during which organizers gave presentations against vaccines and the mandate.
One of the presenters was James Top, a soldier marching through Canada against vaccine mandates and preparing to return to the capital to complete his march, reaching the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on June 30. His arrival there is expected to coincide with expected Canadian Day protests.
Bergen did not attend the recent event and does not plan to be in Ottawa for Canada Day, but met with convoy participants this winter. At the time, recently in his leadership role, Bergen advised senior Conservative lawmakers not to tell truck convoy members to leave Ottawa and instead turn the protests into a prime minister’s problem, according to an internal email from CTV News.
Asked what message she said her group members considered to be allies of the convoy, Bergen said it showed they were willing to listen to those who wanted to be heard, and that conservatives “strongly support Canadians who were and still are against mandatory vaccines. “
After expressing support for truck drivers and those involved in protests by convoys that blocked streets and border crossings in Ottawa this winter, the federal conservative group has been highly critical of the government’s call for an emergency law.
Bergen continues to call on Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino to resign over what she sees as misleading parliament as to whether the police have requested or are requesting the unprecedented emergency powers granted by the state of emergency.
“There is a very high threshold for invoking the Canadian Emergency Act. We have always said that we do not believe that the government will meet this threshold, and what you see now from the fact that they misled the Canadians that they probably did not reach the threshold, “Bergen said, suggesting that the Liberals” discredited “the current commission inspection and national investigation.
In a separate interview for Sunday’s broadcast, when asked if he thought the minister had misled parliament, House of Representatives leader Mark Holland said he thought his colleague was clear.
“The question here is whether the police have been consulted? Yes. Did the police use these tools? Yes. Did the police then make it clear that these tools were crucial in eliminating the terrible situation with a city under siege that had no end in sight? Yes.”
BERGEN “SHOCKIN” FROM REMPEL GARNER’S COMMENTS
In a recent blog post explaining why she decided not to run for Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP), Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner wrote about her concerns and observations of both the provincial and federal parties. .
“In both parties there were quarrels that erupted in the pages of the national media, public breakdowns, almost missed physical battles, coups, slanderous jobs, leaked records and confidential emails, lack of consensus on critical issues, gatherings, people harassed to the point. , in which they withdraw from their roles and hours of meetings in which members have been subjected to hours of public criticism, “reads her post.
Shortly after the publication, Toronto Star reported that some of its fellow Conservative MPs had threatened to remove her from the federal assembly.
Asked about her colleague’s comments, Bergen said she was “absolutely shocked” and that while it may be Rempel Garner’s experience, it was “not an accurate description”.
“I haven’t experienced that,” Bergen said. “We’ve had an amazing last six months. And you know, even when we don’t agree … yes, there have been quarrels, but my message to the group is that we can disagree and still be united. ”
With files from CTV News Ottawa and CTV National News producers Mackenzie Gray and Rachel Haynes
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