Canada bristles at US meddling

Support for Ottawa truck protest brings rebuke, as PM demands end to chaos

Canada's public safety minister said on Monday that some officials in the United States should stay out of his country's domestic affairs, joining other Canadian leaders in pushing back against prominent Republicans who have offered support for the trucker protesters that have besieged Ottawa in a campaign against COVID-19 restrictions.

A day after the Canadian capital declared a state of emergency, the mayor pleaded for almost 2,000 extra police officers to help quell the raucous nightly demonstrations staged by the so-called Freedom Truck Convoy, which has used hundreds of parked trucks to paralyze the business district for almost two weeks.

"Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens' daily lives," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an emergency debate in Parliament, his first appearance in nearly a week, while the protest continued outside. "It has to stop."