Protesters set to gather on Saturday in Montreal, police ready to ensure no streets are blocked

Just under a week after the trucks rolled out of the provincial capital in Quebec City, a demonstration is planned in Montreal on Saturday to again call for an end to health measures in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "Unis dans l'Amour pour la Liberte" (United in Love for Freedom) demonstration on Saturday at Jarry Park in Montreal's Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough is scheduled for 1 p.m. in solidarity with the ongoing Ottawa trucker convoy.

"With two days to go before Valentine's Day, what better way than to come together in love to demonstrate together our disagreement with these abusive and liberticidal measures," reads a message on the Facebook event page hosted by the group Quebec Pro Choix.

The last major Montreal protest in early January brought thousands to the streets, including People's Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier.

Since that protest, Quebec has begun lifting health restrictions, including allowing restaurants to open their dining rooms, theatres to operate at half capacity and the return of organized sports under certain restrictions.

• Here's a breakdown of what's reopening in Quebec

Mayor Valerie Plante said Thursday that the city's police force is ready for any protest, as they have been throughout the pandemic.

"We've been looking at the situation very closely of what happened in Ottawa, what happened in Quebec," she said. "Our police officers, some of them were in Quebec last weekend to see how it would go, so there is a lot of learning there... The SPVM is prepared for any manifestations (protests)."

Organizers would not unveil who would speak at Saturday's rally but said it would a surprise and that the "biggest whistleblowers are expected."

Montreal police (SPVM) said they are aware of the protest and are ready to intervene if any traffic is blocked.

Plante said she has no problem with protests in the city, but that trucks blocking streets will not be permitted.

"The City of Montreal has always been a place where people gather and bring their voice out, which is totally fine," she said. "But we're still in a state of emergency here in Montreal, so for me it's very important that people can come and protest peacefully, but I don't want trucks to block streets and the operation that needs to be done." 

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OPPOSITION MNAS CALL FOR DE-ESCALATION

Quebec MNAs pleaded for calm on Friday, on the eve of a planned demonstration in Montreal and in the context of several protesters getting agitated on social media.

Liberal health critic Monsef Derraji said in a news conference that he understands that Quebecers want to express their fatigue. But "no one is going to win if there is an escalation of violence," he said.

The MNA called for calm and caution, minutes before he started questioning Health Minister Christian Dubé on the issue of managing the pandemic.

Parti Québécois (PQ) Parliamentary Leader Joël Arseneau argued Friday morning that it was possible to debate these things "in a serious and rigorous way."

"Will we be better prepared... for the next pandemic? What conclusions can we draw?" he asked. "Is it normal not to do a post mortem on what happened?"

Arseneau said that in general, it was necessary to "avoid adding fuel to the fire, to stigmatize certain segments of the population" and instead "open up the dialogue". 

COUNTER PROTEST ARRANGED

A counter protest is also in the works, and will take place at Jarry Park Saturday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m., according to a press release.

The organizers say they are concerned over associations between the so-called “freedom protests” and far-right beliefs.

“While some people attending the Freedom Convoy protests are just opposed to vaccine mandates or lockdowns, it’s inexcusable to be expressing those views alongside known far-right actors,” the release continues.   

-- With files from The Canadian Press.