Ottawa People’s Commission recommends change to rebuild trust after ‘Freedom Convoy’

A community-based group that has been looking into the impacts of last year’s “Freedom Convoy” protests says all three levels of government should offer meaningful apologies and compensation to Ottawa residents for the harms they suffered.

The Ottawa People’s Commission, a group led by four human-rights activists, has made 25 recommendations to rebuild community trust after a 10-month investigation. 

The report says governments should provide compensation for lost wages and income as a result of business shutdowns during the protests, “as well as for extraordinary expenses such as mental health counselling.” 

They’re calling for an independent investigation into the failures of Ottawa police and bylaw officials who did not enforce laws during the blockade of several downtown city streets by protesters opposed to COVID-19 measures and the federal government. 

Last January and February, thousands of people took over several blocks near Parliament Hill, blockading roads with big-rig trucks and honking their horns all hours of the day and night.

Alex Neve, one of the commissioners, says the City’s treatment of its residents last winter was a “stunning level of abandonment” that has led to broken trust in officials.  

“We make it clear that this was far more than a provocative protest, it was an orchestrated occupation of central Ottawa that brought life in those neighbourhoods to a standstill and left thousands of people isolated and traumatized,” said Neve.  

The volunteer commission released the first part of its report in January after hearing from more than 200 people and organizations, many of whom said they experienced harassment, violence and assault during the protests.  

Previous reports by Ottawa’s auditor general and the Public Order Emergency Commission, a federal public inquiry that is mandated to review the use of the Emergencies Act, have detailed the shortcomings of Ottawa police and all three levels of government. 

The People’s Commission said recommendations from those reports have informed their own, but insist their separate investigation was needed. 

Leilani Farha, another of the four commissioners, said neither the auditor nor the public inquiry spent enough time hearing from the people affected.

“If you don’t hear from the people who experience potential violations of their rights, when you’re trying to figure out what to do the next time around, you’re not going to create recommendations or solutions that actually work,” Farha said. 

The commission is recommending more funding for community well-being and the development of protocols and plans to protect the most vulnerable people during an emergency. 

Neve said despite multiple invitations, the Ottawa Police Service was unable to find a time to meet with the commission over the last 10 months. However, he said the force has been receptive to a discussion. 

The commissioners say they are awaiting responses from government officials, who have been sent copies of their report. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023. 

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Cindy Tran, The Canadian Press