Making our voices heard
Ottawa People’s Commission is a grassroots effort to promote healing and justice after the convoy occupation of Ottawa-Gatineau in 2022.
OPC is an initiative of the Centretown Community Health Centre.
OPC makes recommendations under eight calls for action; some are immediate and concrete, others more systemic and complex. Most are directed to the City, though some involve the provincial and federal governments. Many point to the vital need for the three orders of government to work together and coordinate their efforts in upholding human rights.
Taken together they are transformational and would offer Ottawa residents and businesses assurance that lessons have been learned and the debacle of the convoy occupation will not be repeated. Learn more about OPC’s 25 recommendations and timeline for action.
There are a number of misconceptions about the make-up of the communities that were affected by the convoy occupation. Many people assume that a relatively small number of people live in central Ottawa and that the downtown is primarily composed of government and other office buildings. Another misplaced assumption is that those who do live downtown are primarily politicians, civil servants and diplomats, who are comfortably middle class and upper middle class, and reside principally in high-priced condominiums. That is not the case.
During the three-and-a-half week occupation and beyond, Ottawa residents relied on community sources, media coverage, and posts, photos and footage from social media to keep safe and stay informed.
Recognizing the value of creating a community archive of this footage, documenting the impact of the convoy from the perspective of local residents, workers, and businesses, OPC crowd-sourced this timeline.
A dynamic group of local residents with diverse backgrounds and politics came together to create OPC as a non-partisan response to the convoy occupation. Sharing their vision and commitment, Centretown Community Health Centre then adopted OPC as a program. OPC received support from a broad range of groups committed to promoting healing, building community and holding governments to account.
Though the autumn of 2022, OPC held 14 hearings, four in-person and ten online, inviting local residents to share their stories of the occupation and their views on what should be done to avoid a repeat. As well, eight community consultations were held with different groups, and meetings were held with community leaders and experts.
In addition, OPC received written submissions from local residents who shared their stories and digital evidence of the occupation’s impact.
OPC was a program of Centretown Community Health Centre. CCHC provided funding and administrative and logistics support – and helped ensure OPC activities were planned with an eye to reducing stress and relieving trauma.
The federal inquiries — parliamentary and judicial — focused on the Emergencies Act and covered the whole country. The City’s inquiry was conducted by the City’s Auditor General and was very narrow in scope. OPC put the community’s interests first, creating a space for residents to share their stories, name their concerns, identify solutions, and press for action. It was intended as an avenue to healing and to justice.
The Ottawa People’s Commission is no longer formally receiving submissions from the public but you are encouraged to work through community organizations and others to share your experience and your views, and to advocate for changes that will ensure Ottawa residents are never again abandoned in the face of violence and human rights violations.
News and updates are posted here. As well, you can follow OPC on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram, and YouTube.
OPC relied on the community for support. Donations were received from local and national foundations, unions, community agencies and generous individuals.
Donations are eligible for charitable tax receipts from the Centretown Community Health Centre through their CanadaHelps portal.
Many were traumatized by the occupation, and remain frustrated their story has not been heard and their opinion has not been sought. There has been no redress for their losses and no accountability for the failure of governments at all levels to protect their health or defend their rights.
Echoes of the occupation and threats of future disruptions continue. For that reason OPC came together to look at why people are subject to this violence and how best to bring it to an end.
For some, the experience of the convoy was the first time they had felt uncomfortable or intimidated in their own community. Others faced a heightened risk, but being targeted, taunted and trolled was and remains part of their daily reality.
OPC worked with leaders from diverse communities – in particular, those who face higher levels of hate, discrimination and violence – to ensure we captured their experience before, during and since the occupation, and recommended actions that create greater safety and respect for everyone.
Talk to your neighbours and co-workers.
Contact your elected representatives.
Press for action of OPC’s recommendations.
Make your voice heard.
Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation
c/o Centretown Community Health Centre
420 Cooper Street
Ottawa, ON, K2P 2N6