Leaders of the Trucker Convoy were arrested by Ottawa police on Thursday. They have arrested two of the leaders of the protests in the Canadian capital.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are both expected to face criminal charges. The authorities were also able to clear out the remaining protesters at the border crossing.
Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell warned earlier that if “they do not peacefully leave, we have plans”. The Emergencies Act invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bans public assembly in some areas.
The truckers convoy in Ottawa parked about 400 trucks and other vehicles around the parliament. They have been warned that they are facing arrest after their trucks are confiscated and banks were frozen. Police say they are also working with child-welfare agencies to arrange how to remove the children from the site.
Ms. Lich told the Canadian Press earlier that her personal bank account had already been frozen. She also added that she was resigned to going to jail. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed the government had begun freezing truckers’ bank accounts. “It is happening. I do have the numbers in front of me,” she said.
The most economically destructive barrier, a bridge between Windsor, Ontario, with the US state of Michigan, was removed last weekend. Trucker demonstrations in Coutts, Alberta, and Emerson, Manitoba, were put to a stop this week.
The action comes ahead of the weekend when a core group of protestors who have remained on the streets throughout the week is usually joined by thousands of more demonstrators.
In the House of Commons on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau justified his government’s use of the Emergencies Act, claiming that the demonstrations pose a threat to the national economy, public safety, and US relations.