Thousands of people protesting provincial anti-COVID-19 measures rallied in the streets of Montreal on Saturday throwing much of the downtown area–already pockmarked with detours, their ubiquitous orange signs and gaping construction holes–into a state of low-key chaos on a sunny weekend afternoon that many in the city look forward to all winter.
Quebec has seen several protests against public health regulations over the course of the pandemic and media reports said Saturday’s may have been the largest.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
It came as health care workers as well as provincial and municipal officials appeared to be getting vaccination efforts up and running somewhat smoothly.
Police arrested 10 of the demonstrators and issued 144 tickets, all to people who chose not to wear masks, all for $1,500.
The crowd first gathered at 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of McGill College Ave. and Sherbrooke, near the Montreal office of Quebec Premier François Legault.
As they moved through the streets they chanted slogans of “Liberty” and “Legault in prison.”
As traffic ground to a halt and drivers frantically looked for escape routes, the demonstrators changed directions several times before returning at 5:30 to where they started.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
At this point, only about a hundred were left.
Police spokesperson Manuel Couture told La Presse Canadienne the crowd was mainly made up of families who generally did not seek confrontation with the police.
“On the other hand, there were a few small groups who confronted police and did not respect health measures,” he said.
Police said some protesters threw projectiles at officers as the event was winding down and police said they used pepper spray to push back and disperse the small group.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
If polls are to be believed, more and more Canadians are losing patience with similar demonstrations.
An online survey by Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies last September, found 88 per cent of respondents in Canada said they opposed the demonstrations while 12 per cent supported them.
And many others are simply exhausted.
A new poll released today by the Canadian Mental Health Association found only 35 per cent of respondents said they considered their mental health to be “very good” or “excellent,” compared to 52 per cent in the first round of polling in May.
It also showed that nearly 80 per cent of respondents believes there will be a “serious mental health crisis” post-pandemic, compared to 66 per cent in August and 69 per cent in May.
With files from CBC News, Radio-Canada, La Presse Canadienne, The Canadian Press, RCI
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