Ford doesn’t want to see ‘shenanigans’ in Ottawa

Behave yourselves this time, protesters.

That’s the message to Ottawabound demonstrators from Premier Doug Ford, who backed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of emergency powers to end the illegal blockade around Parliament Hill last winter.

Ford said it’s “disappointing” and “not fair” that the so-called “Freedom Convoy” is returning on Canada Day.

“I’m all for peaceful protest and you can demonstrate, but … no shenanigans this weekend,” the premier warned Thursday.

“Just be peaceful and let people of Ottawa enjoy their weekend. We honestly should not even be going through this. It’s disappointing, but it is what it is,” he said.

“Look at all these police officers that typically may have vacation days to spend with their families. Now they’re cancelling all their vacation and they’re going to Ottawa (to work). You know, it’s just not fair.”

The premier urged truckers motoring toward the capital to “be considerate,” unlike the threeweek protest that ended in February after the government gave police temporary powers under the Emergencies Act.

More than 100 people were arrested after riot police cleared the demonstration that forced downtown Ottawa residents to endure days of horn-honking and rabble-rousing.

Ford said he would be happy to “participate” in the ongoing Emergencies Act post-mortem committee and praised the Ontario Provincial Police for its role in ending the unlawful occupation.

“I just want to thank the OPP for the great job they did … and I want to thank all the police agencies right across Ontario and the federal government, the RCMP, for the incredible job they did,” he said, hailing police efforts at the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.

“What we can’t ever have happen again is when they cut off the border and we’re losing $700 million a day in trade (between Canada and the U.S.).”

The recently re-elected premier also confirmed what the Star reported Wednesday night: the legislature would resume on Aug. 8.

That’s the day a new speaker will be elected. Tory MPPs Ted Arnott (Wellington—Halton Hills) and Nina Tangri (Mississauga-Streetsville) have announced they are running. Arnott has been speaker since 2018 and Tangri is hoping to make history as the first woman to serve as the legislature’s referee.

One day after MPPs elect a new speaker, the government will table a throne speech, to be read by Lt.Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, outlining the Tories’ agenda for the next few years.

“We’ll be sitting approximately for five weeks,” Ford said in Brampton.

“We’re going to get things moving forward. We will pass the budget,” he said, referring to the record $198.6-billion spending plan tabled by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy on April 28, which was the Tories’ re-election platform.

Ford signalled that teachers, whose salary hikes have been capped at one per cent a year by Bill 124, would get a raise in their upcoming contracts now being negotiated.

‘‘ Just be peaceful and let people of Ottawa enjoy their weekend. We honestly should not even be going through this. It’s disappointing, but it is what it is.

DOUG FORD ONTARIO PREMIER