Ottawa Police working on dedicated unit for Parliament Hill area

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Police Service is establishing a dedicated policing presence around Parliament Hill.

The federal government is making $50 million available over five years for the Parliament district policing program.

The money, which was earmarked in the 2024 federal budget, will fund 49 employees.

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says the program is a response to a growing number of protests in the downtown area in recent years — including the 2022 convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa for weeks.

He says the unit addresses the Public Order Emergency Commission’s recommendation that Parliament Hill have a dedicated police presence.

The RCMP and the Parliamentary Protective Service are also responsible for security in the area.

Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs says the initiative goes beyond a visible police presence and responds to the concerns of politicians, residents, workers and visitors in the area around Parliament Hill.

Stubbs says the idea is to ensure city police respond faster to calls in the area, and to foster more understanding and respect among officers about the rules and protocol on Parliament Hill.

“We want to make sure that the Parliament buildings and Parliament Hill isn’t turned into some sort of fortress,” McGuinty told a Friday press conference.

“We need to jealously safeguard and secure the right to protest and the right to visit and the right to be there.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press