Two Arrested for Mischief During Ottawa ‘Draw the Line’ Rally Demanding Progressive Policies

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has arrested two people for mischief following a protest that drew hundreds on Parliament Hill Saturday morning, Sept. 20.

The “Draw the Line” protest in downtown Ottawa was one of several held across the country, including in major cities such as Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Montreal. Protesters called on the federal government to accede to a series of demands, including to “tax the ultra-rich,” advance indigenous rights, “end the era of fossil fuels,” grant permanent resident status for all migrants, and implement an arms embargo against Israel.

According to organizers on their rally website, the protests were a response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government showing recent support for liquefied natural gas projects, proposing spending cuts in public services, tightening immigration policy, raising military spending, and “arming Israel’s genocide in Palestine.”

Demonstrators in Ottawa gathered in front of Carney’s office on Saturday morning. Many of them held Palestinian flags and wore keffiyeh scarves associated with the pro-Palestine movement. While marching down Wellington Street—en route to the U.S. Embassy on Sussex Drive and the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument near city hall—protesters were also seen carrying signs advocating for full immigration status for all, climate change, and “Land Back” for indigenous people.

The protests, organized by a coalition of activist groups, also involved protesters painting a large red-and-white mural on the road surface on Wellington Street in front of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The mural read “people, peace, planet, not profit.”

The OPS posted on social media later in the afternoon that two people were arrested for mischief and that Wellington was temporarily closed to “facilitate the clean-up of paint left by demonstrators.”

“Reminder: Threats of violence, property destruction, or other unlawful conduct are not protected under the Charter,” the post read.

In one video posted by Dacey Media, protesters with Palestinian flags could be seen taking over Wellington Street toward the PMO as police backed up to the side. Some demonstrators banged on the drums, while others yelled pro-Palestinian and anti-oil and gas chants.

Liberals’ Bills

The protests, which occurred ahead of the Liberals’ tabling of its budget on Nov. 4, likewise called on the government to repeal its Bill C-2, also known as the Strong Borders Act, and the One Canadian Economy Act, formerly known as Bill C-5.

The organizers claim that Bill C-2 is an “anti-migrant” legislation, while labelling Bill C-5 as “legislative shortcuts that silence indigenous voices.”

The Carney government plans to pass Bill C-2 into law during the fall session. The bill, which has completed its first reading, would reinforce border security and empower immigration officials to pause, cancel, or suspend immigration applications, and to reject asylum claims deemed to be against the public interest. On Sept. 10, Carney likewise said the government plans to return immigration rates to “sustainable levels,” which includes reducing the number of non-permanent residents to “less than five percent” of the total population.

Bill C-5, which received royal assent in June, allows Ottawa to remove federal barriers to interprovincial trade and fast-track major projects such as pipelines, ports, and railways that are deemed of national interest. In August, Carney told Métis leaders that respecting the rights of indigenous communities is “at the core” of the One Canadian Economy Act.

Earlier this month, when Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was asked if his proposed spending cuts would include public service layoffs, he said his government would “find adjustments.” He added that “a lot” of people were added to the public service during the pandemic period and that now is the time to make adjustments to reduce spending. The minister had directed his colleagues in July to find savings in their departmental budgets over the next three years—starting with a 7.5 percent cut in fiscal 2026–27, increasing to 10 percent in 2027–28, and reaching 15 percent in 2028–29.

In June, Carney committed to increasing NATO military spending targets from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, citing threats to national sovereignty. While addressing the media in Latvia’s capital, Riga, in late August, the prime minister said the new target would represent a “quadrupling” of defence expenditure compared to 2024 levels.

On Sept. 21, Carney announced that Canada will officially recognize a Palestinian state.

Matthew Horwood, Noé Chartier, Olivia Gomm and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.