Anthony Rota says security is in place in case the truck convoy planned for Saturday in Ottawa to protest the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, goes sideways.
Rota, who is the Speaker of the House, says keeping Parliament Hill safe is part of his job.
"As Speaker of the House, part of my responsibility is the security of the hill and I just want to assure Canadians the Hill is being well protected," Rota said during a media zoom call on Friday morning.
"I have had talks and briefings with security on the hill and the Ottawa Region on how things are being protected so I am looking forward to this all being over with but in the meantime, the truckers do have the right to protest, but it is a peaceful protest that is allowed."
See related: Truck convoy arrives in North Bay. Cops say avoid the area
Truckers from both the west and the north are planning to congregate in North Bay Friday night before heading east for Ottawa Saturday morning.
Rota says he insists he understands that the convoy of protesters has a right to do this, but he's concerned with some other groups who are looking to do more harm than good under the veil of the protest.
"I think the bulk of the protesters who have started - they have a right to protest as does every Canadian," admitted Rota, who is also the Nipissing-Timiskaming MP.
"There is a small fringe group that have kind of come in and infiltrated the group that I am concerned about and that's the ones I am worried about on what exactly their plans are and we don't know what their plans are. It is not just protesting on the hill to get their opinion across. There has been some violence talked about so hopefully that does not develop."
