While the work week continues for many who had attended the protests in Ottawa this past weekend, some people are still in the nation's capital and overtaking the downtown there, say Barrie-area MPs who were back in Parliament starting Monday.
What was originally a protest aimed at overturning the mandates preventing unvaccinated truck drivers to across the border into the United States, the Ottawa rally has been happening since Friday and shutting down many businesses.
Images of fireworks being set off downtown, coupled with vehicle horns and music blaring throughout the night, have upset many who live and work near Parliament Hill.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley spends a lot of time going back and forth from his home in Barrie and apartment in the capital. He arrived in Ottawa early Monday morning, but said he had to take a bit of a different route than normal because of the protesters.
“I had to zig-zag a little bit, but got to my apartment residence and was able to park at the building before walking as I always do," he told BarrieToday. "You can get around, but it's a little more difficult, obviously."
Shipley said he has seen “thousands and thousands of people" there and acknowledges things are a lot different than usual.
“There are still a lot of roads closed and it is still not a normal state here in Ottawa,” he said. “It has started to affect downtown businesses and the people who live downtown, which is unfortunate.”
When asked about images showing some people carrying hateful messages, Shipley was adamant he didn’t like seeing that, but said he has also seen the other side of the protest first hand.
“I know there have been some events that we all wish didn’t happen, I am not pleased with those,” Shipley said. “I can’t address who all is here. I know that when I walk to Parliament and back, I am not running into any anger, no negativity. It's almost a jovial crowd that I have personally seen; it's almost like a tailgate party with a lot of barbecues set up and people chit-chatting.”
But Shipley also said he was “disappointed that the country even got to this stage.”
“I think our country has become incredibly polarized, incredibly divided, and we are in a bad state right now and we need to come together as a country,” he said. “There is a lot of rhetoric nowadays and we need to put the rhetoric aside and get together.
"A lot of bad apples are ruining good thoughts," Shipley added.
Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard was unavailable for comment Tuesday because he was on house duty, but did release a statement Monday highlighting the anger being felt by many Canadians of all ages who he said “are frustrated and fed up.”
Over the weekend in Ottawa and around the country, including Barrie-Innisfil, Brassard said the protests were a "manifestation" of the frustration many people are feeling.
"Canadians need leadership. They need to be inspired and united, not incited and divided,” Brassard said.
