NDP calling for emergency debate on trucker convoy

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for the House of Commons to hold an emergency debate on the ongoing trucker convoy standoff in downtown Ottawa, while Mayor Jim Watson is calling for the prime minister to appoint a mediator in an effort to end the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation in the city's downtown.

In a letter to House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota, Singh said later today he will be seeking approval for the special debate, which could happen as early as Monday evening.

After a second weekend of protests and an uptick in tickets and arrests, the city of Ottawa declared a state of emergency on Sunday.

As of Monday morning, trucks continue to clog streets throughout the city and organizers are showing no signs of packing up, despite police seizing fuel from a protest staging area in a parking lot of a baseball stadium five kilometres east of downtown.

“The situation has reached a crisis point. And in times of crisis, it is important for federal leaders to show leadership, to urge de-escalation, and to work together to find solutions,” Singh wrote in his letter, adding that an emergency debate would give parliamentarians the ability to “address the critical situation.”