EMERSON, Man. (KFGO CJOB) – The Canada-U.S. border crossing at Emerson, Man., remains shut down to most traffic, but Manitoba RCMP said Tuesday afternoon that the blockade will end shortly.
“We are now confident that a resolution has been reached and that demonstrators will soon be leaving the area and that full access to the Emerson Port of Entry will be restored,” RCMP said in a statement.
“The Manitoba RCMP is coordinating the departure of the remaining demonstrators and expects that this will be completed by Wednesday.”
Earlier on Tuesday, RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre said negotiators were in talks with organizers in an effort to get at least one lane open.
“People want to move on and get to other things, so I think that message is starting to get out there,” he said.
“We’ve had a pretty good dialogue with our negotiators and the organizers there…. A lot of people are going to say, ‘Well, nothing’s changed,’ but we’ve had no violence, we’ve had no arrests, no charges, and hopefully we’re going to have a resolution soon, so to me, that’s a win.”
Manaigre said he was hopeful the blockade would end without the use of the Emergencies Act.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act for the first time ever on Monday afternoon, as protests in Ottawa and elsewhere across the country have been ongoing for weeks, demanding an end to Covid-19 mandates and restrictions, among other issues.
“If we’re successful, (the Emergencies Act) is not something we’re going to need,” Manaigre said about his team’s negotiation efforts.
“I guess if things change, we have put contingencies into place. We’ve got all kinds of scenarios planned out. We’re ready to go depending on how the situation unfolds, but like I say, I think the dialogue is working.”