Local elected officials in Ottawa are calling on the federal government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take their responsibilities, while the municipal police are completely overwhelmed by the headquarters of the capital. "We don't have the resources locally to control this thing," Councilwoman Diane Deans said on Saturday.
Ms. Deans chairs the Ottawa Police Services Board, which met urgently on Saturday to question municipal police chief Peter Sloly and his team. He explained to the elected officials that he was powerless in the face of a "national insurrection" which exceeded his capacities.
Against this backdrop, Councilwoman Carol-Ann Meehan said Prime Minister Trudeau, who is directly targeted by the insurgents, needs to get involved urgently...
Emergency state
For Ontario NDP MP Joel Harden, whose riding is directly affected by the crisis, it is high time for the RCMP to assume its responsibilities for the security of the parliamentary precinct. If necesaary, he calls for the provincial government of Doug Ford to declare a state of emergency.
A state of emergency is defined as an "emergency situation caused by threats to the security of Canada of such gravity that it constitutes a national emergency," according to the Emergencies Act. The law aims "to temporarily authorize extraordinary security measures in a situation of national crisis and to modify other laws accordingly."
City Councilor Catherine McKinney will table a motion before City Council on Monday calling on the City Of Ottawa to make a formal request to the federal government to take control of the parliamentary precinct and what is now referred to as the "red zone" i.e. the occupied zone.
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