Anti-mandate groups return to Ottawa, but future of movement uncertain amid arrests and divisions

Nearly five months after they were forced out of Ottawa, Freedom Convoy protesters are returning to the capital this weekend, where along with a more determined police presence they will confront questions about where the movement is headed.

With many of the leaders who emerged during the winter occupation either in jail, or restricted by bail conditions, the movement's current direction is unclear. 

The issue that unified the disparate groups in the first place — opposition to vaccine mandates — has lost its appeal since the federal and provincial governments have lifted most public health measures. 

In the absence of clear leadership, groups have resorted to pushing their various pet causes, everything from independence for Alberta to fabricated legal concepts such as constitutional sheriffs.

Around them, meanwhile, a large cast of characters vies for influence on the various social media channels popular within the movement.

In videos posted on Facebook, TikTok and other platforms, figures with large followings have been exchanging accusations of bilking supporters, fleeing Ottawa before the arrests or being government agents.

Conspiracy theories, radical anti-government rhetoric and homophobic and transphobic slurs remain common in convoy discussion forums online, limiting the movement's mainstream appeal.

The Canada Day weekend protests in Ottawa, along with smaller gatherings planned in Mirror, Alta., Salmo, B.C., and Winnipeg, come, therefore, at a critical moment for the movement. Several groups see it as a chance to project a more unified, moderate image.

"Let's show Ottawa that we are respectful Canadians," Amanda Haveman, an organizer with Freedom Central Canada, one of the largest convoy groups on Facebook, said in a video message earlier this week. 

"We just want our voices heard and we want Canada to go back to the way it was."

As part of the rebranding effort, Haveman instructed her group's more than 100,000 Facebook followers to avoid hoisting the Maple Leaf upside down and to avoid waving F--k Trudeau flags, two symbols that were prominent at previous convoy protests.

The convoy events planned this weekend include a march to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Thursday, a march to Parliament Hill on Friday, and a pancake breakfast on Saturday — each hosted by a different group.

Ottawa police have said they won't tolerate any attempts at a prolonged occupation and have barred vehicles from the area around Parliament Hill.

The zero-tolerance policy was evident Wednesday, when bylaw officers announced they had issued 154 tickets and towed 44 vehicles as part of the city's enforcement plan.