'Freedom' protesters flock to Ottawa as city marks Canada Day

Hundreds of protesters marching in the name of “freedom” returned to the capital’s downtown streets Friday, capping off a Canada Day which began with a call for unity from the prime minister.

“Canada is about people who are constantly fighting for something instead of against,” Justin Trudeau said, after arriving at a daytime Canada Day ceremony west of Ottawa’s downtown.

He hailed frontline health workers, Canada’s military, Ukrainian Canadians and the diversity of Canada’s population.

The country has work to do in advancing Indigenous reconciliation, he said, referencing the unmarked schoolchildren’s graves that framed last year’s Canada Day.

But he tried to underline common ground, saying the Canadian flag represents our accomplishments and our desire to improve … Let’s remember the value that it stands for: compassion, hope, responsibility, justice, openness, hard work.”

Trudeau, and his family, were flanked by more than a dozen protective RCMP bodyguards as the prime minister shook hands and moved quickly through a protected fenced off pathway through the crowd. There was no heckling or yelling at him, though on Parliament Hill, protesters carried signs and flags continuing the anti-vaccine-mandate, anti-Trudeau campaign of last winter’s so-called Freedom Convoy.

Security officials were on high alert, with Ottawa police warning they would crack down on any disturbances and violations of the law.