Roundup: An inexplicable failure of police

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Amidst all of the finger-pointing and blame-shifting, as everyone tries to pin the current occupations and blockades on the prime ministers, those of us who pay attention know that the real problem here is policing, and ultimately the rule of law. Bill Blair has rightly called it “inexplicable” why the Ottawa Police have not done their jobs to uphold and enforce the law, particularly when they have plenty of resources and added authority under the state of emergencies that have been declared municipally and provincially. Still no dice. And while the city says they’re waiting for reinforcements, we also find that there is actually no plan for what to do with them when they do arrive (and they have been trickling in), which inspires no confidence at all that this is going to be resolved anytime soon.

At the same time, the drumbeat for federal emergency powers is getting louder, and while ministers are saying it’s under consideration, there was also a Cabinet meeting last night, which is very unusual and could signal preparations for it. That said, it’s unlikely that they will without the invitation from Ontario to do so, and even if they do, it’s still a trap because they want Trudeau to wear this (more than he already is), and any action would ensure that he’s the one to do so.

https://twitter.com/adamgoldenberg/status/1492958766454738945

https://twitter.com/adamgoldenberg/status/1492966908538376197

In the meantime, we’re seeing gutless municipal politicians do their own blame-shifting and ass-covering and try to put this on Trudeau. No. The city’s Police Services Board is the civilian authority for the police and the body which holds them to account. They are the ones who have the power here. They should be calling the chief to the carpet and telling him that if he and his people don’t do their jobs and start enforcing the law, then he can find a new one, and keep going down the line until it starts to happen. But when it all comes down to it, these last almost-three weeks have clearly demonstrated that the Ottawa Police Service, which was already putrid with corruption, is irredeemable and needs to be disbanded entirely in order to start over from the ground up.

Grifter Occupation: Day 18

Because it was the weekend, Ottawa was flooded with grievance tourists once more (mostly farmers from the Ottawa Valley), and because apparently Purge Rules apply, the police stood around and watched them, particularly when they tore down the fences that had been put up around the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But as this was happening, we were seeing counter-protesters in Kingston and Winnipeg start having success in pushing back against these copycat attempts, and then on Sunday, counter-protesters in Ottawa also started pushing back, blockading routes that lead downtown, and in one case, forcing the drivers of these pick-up trucks to remove their decals and flags before turning them around and sending them home. Ottawa has had enough, and because the police won’t do their jobs, people have been instead. It’s not a great situation and has increased the likelihood of escalation, but enough is enough.

And then the mayor decided to start “helping,” and I can’t even. He revealed that in “backchannel” conversations, he had struck an agreement with occupation organizers to concentrate their forces is the downtown core away from residential streets, and would agree to have a meeting with them, for what little good it would accomplish. Of course, no good can come of it, because it just offers them legitimacy and they can say that “the mayor said we could be here” rather than clearing them the hell out and sending them home. And then, there was disagreement between organisers if they had actually struck a deal or not, so yeah. Great job, mayor. You’ve really helped. Slow. Clap.

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1492961140330184705

Meanwhile, two members of the military’s elite JTF2 are under investigation for participation in these convoys, which is a little terrifying when you think of what this says about their opinion on civilian control of the military.

 

Good reads:

  • The blockade on the Ambassador Bridge has been cleared, after some kind of standoff with police when they made the first series of arrests.
  • Another blockade was attempted at a border crossing in Surrey, where the “protesters” broke through an RCMP barricade.
  • Canadian troops have been moved out of Ukraine, while diplomatic staff have been temporarily relocated to Lviv.
  • Susan Delacourt looks at the occupation through the lens of the kind of Trump-style populism that Steve Bannon was pushing, though it may not take hold here.
  • Chantal Hébert points out what has changed on the Conservative political landscape that may make it easier for Jean Charest to make a bid for leadership.
  • Supriya Dwivedi wonders where all of the grown-ups are in the Conservative party.

Odds and ends:

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2 thoughts on “Roundup: An inexplicable failure of police”

  1. The #Battle of Billings Bridge was quite a story yesterday – a bunch of dog walkers said “enough!” and eventually they forced all of the people trying to join the insurrection to turn around, even in spite of police trying to shut them down. And this was in stark contrast to the mayor’s surrender with a retroactive camping permit. Its pretty obvious now that both civilian and police leadership are completely out of their depth, in Ottawa, and maybe also provincially too.

  2. What’s your view on Carson Jarema’s National Post article about how Ottawa’s responsibility for border security means it ought to be clearing the border blockades?

    https://nationalpost.com/opinion/carson-jerema-border-blockades-show-canadian-incompetence-is-the-biggest-threat-not-insurrection

    My first assumption would be that the federal government would in fact have a role to play in at least those blockades, since they’re trying to unlawfully block the border. Or is it still a case of provinces like Ontario and Alberta not doing their jobs?

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