"I think Canadians should celebrate Canada Day. We've been through a marathon of the pandemic and there's reason for hope and optimism," he said in an interview last week.

"I do think it is troubling that some are fanning flames … we don't want a replay of last winter and we don't want people engaging in illegal behaviour or violence that is disruptive to the community here in Ottawa or anywhere else."

Protest groups have said they plan to hold ongoing demonstrations throughout the summer, starting on June 30 and building toward Labour Day.

The Ottawa Police Service said they're aware of upcoming protests and are "planning accordingly." 

The capital city's police force continues to face criticism about how it handled the anti-COVID-19 restriction protests last winter that gridlocked Ottawa for three weeks after protesters —  some calling for the overthrow of the federal government —  were able to park trucks and other vehicles on main arteries around Parliament Hill.

This week the sergeant-at-arms for the House of Commons said he was "flabbergasted" by police inaction at the time.

Protesters were eventually pushed out of the downtown core after the federal government took the never-before-used step of invoking the Emergencies Act. In the end more than 100 people were arrested, leaving a multi-million dollar policing bill.

"I think it's important that we take some lessons from last winter," said Mendicino.

"We'll continue to give [police] the tools and the support that is necessary to ensure that there's public safety as we celebrate Canada Day."

'We did what a responsible government would do:' Mendicino 

Mendicino ended the spring sitting of Parliament, now on a summer hiatus, under intense questioning about how the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was made.

The legislation authorized a ban on travel to protest zones, allowed banks to freeze the accounts of some of those involved in the protests and allowed officials to commandeer tow trucks. It also enabled the RCMP to enforce municipal bylaws and provincial offences as required.

The minister told a parliamentary committee investigating the issue that the government acted on "the advice of non-partisan professional law enforcement."

Ahead of July 1 festivities in the capital, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says the government will help to maintain security ahead of planned protests. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

Under questioning, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell testified that they did not ask the government to invoke the act, although they have said the new powers served as a deterrent.

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen has called for Mendicino to resign, accusing him of "lying to and misleading Canadians about the Emergencies Act."

Mendicino said his government was talking to law enforcement daily, sometimes hourly. 

"We did what a responsible government would do, which is remain in contact with law enforcement for the purposes of making the decisions that were necessary to restore public safety," he said.

At the time of invocation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued its use was necessary to address "serious challenges to law enforcement's ability to effectively enforce the law."

But that reasoning has been questioned by the opposition and other critics who have asked whether other measures, including policing tactics, could have been used.

Mendicino pointed to testimony Lucki gave where she spoke about the ability to direct tow trucks to help move vehicles clogging Ottawa's streets.

"Other powers that were granted under the Emergencies Act were done with the benefit of the advice which we proactively sought from law enforcement prior to invoking the Emergencies Act. That's the way the system is supposed to work," he said.

"It made enormous sense for the government to be in conversation with police, identifying where gaps in existing authorities lay, and then filling those gaps with unique, exceptional time-limited and targeted powers."

Mendocino added that Lucki has "corroborated that" in her testimony.

'I'll never apologize for doing what is necessary:' Mendicino

Outside of the parliamentary committee, an independent inquiry will also soon begin digging into the reasons behind the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time.

"We hope we don't ever have to use those rare powers again," said Mendicino.

"But I'll never apologize for doing what is necessary to protect Canadians and invoking the Emergencies Act was the right thing to do." 

Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 days after the Emergencies Act was invoked. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

The upcoming protests are scheduled to kick off when James Topp, a veteran marching across Canada against vaccine mandates, plans to end his cross-country journey at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. 

Last week the federal government lifted the vaccine mandate requirement for federal employees and for passengers wishing to board a plane or train in Canada.

Earlier this week Topp and other organizers met with Conservative MPs near Parliament Hill where he said the protest has become something bigger

"Their issue is not so much with mandates anymore, it's their satisfaction with the federal government," Topp said.

 "There is a divide in this country I have never seen or experienced before — I've only ever seen it in a war zone."

Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP Jeremy Patzer said politicians of all stripes should listen to what the group has to say.

"I'm not willing to demonize or accept this narrative that people that have views that other people don't agree with, that they should be demonized for holding those views,"he told CBC. 

A group of Conservative Party of Canada MPs met with some of the people planning protests in Ottawa this summer, including organizers of the Freedom Convoy that occupied downtown streets earlier this year. 

James Topp, a veteran marching across Canada to protest against remaining vaccine mandates, is set to end his journey on June 30 but he drove into Ottawa Wednesday to take part in the meetings. 

He was joined by Paul Alexander, a former official in U.S. president Donald Trump's administration, and Tom Marazzo, who served 25 years in the Canadian Forces and had a failed bid as an Ontario MPP candidate.

Marazzo was invited by James Bauder to come and help run the Freedom Convoy during protests in Ottawa earlier this year. 

Bauder, who is facing charges in Ottawa and continued to protest in British Columbia after leaving the city in February, is responsible for creating the Canada Unity group and website that helped develop the initial convoy plan to come to Ottawa.

James Topp began walking to Ottawa in February, inspired by the Freedom Convoy and disturbed, he says, by government overreach. (CBC)

Daniel Bulford, another organizer who helped co-ordinate the Freedom Convoy, was also at the meetings Wednesday. 

Bulford is a former RCMP officer who was on the prime minister's security detail before quitting after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He was the convoy's head of security, and boasted of having strong relations to police agencies. 

Taking place in a government building near Parliament Hill, just days after Ottawa suspended vaccine mandates for federal employees and passengers travelling to Canada, Alexander told MPs the "COVID-19 pandemic is over" and criticized what they call "government overreach"— in one instance, blaming lockdowns for the May 24 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting that left 19 kids and two teachers dead. 

Topp told the MPs that a number of groups formed out of the Freedom Convoy had come under one umbrella to continue protesting.

"Their issue is not so much with mandates anymore, it's their satisfaction with the federal government," Topp said. "There is a divide in this country I have never seen or experienced before — I've only ever seen it in a war zone."

Topp has been met with support in communities as he travelled across the country, and it's expected many will gather in Ottawa on June 30 to be there when he officially finishes his march. About 20 MPs greeted him in what he characterized as a "well-received" meeting. 

"I get that they have busy schedules, I'm sure there are things going on in the background that I'm not aware of, that's their business not mine," he said. "The fact is the ones that showed up here did extend us the courtesy and did recognize what it took to get them in the room."

Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP Jeremy Patzer offered his support to Topp and his group, saying it's a message he has endeavoured to try to get out as well.

"These are just average citizens that have concerns. As members of Parliament, if we are unwilling to hear concerns of the average person, then we are failing to do our job," he said in an interview with CBC.

"I would encourage all members of Parliament regardless of their political striping to be willing to listen and to hear the voices of people like this, because they have a message that they want heard and we've got to be willing to listen to them."

He added he would "meet with anybody who wants to meet with me who has a concern" and said the group does not have extremist views. 

"I'm not willing to demonize or accept this narrative that people that have views that other people don't agree with, that they should be demonized for holding those views," he said. 

During the convoy earlier this year, some CPC MPs met with protesters parked near Parliament Hill, but others, including the prime minister, did not. 

In total, around 20 MPs — all from the CPC caucus — were in attendance Wednesday, including leadership hopeful Leslyn Lewis, Warren Steinley, John Barlow, Ryan Williams, Dean Allison and Arnold Viersen. 

Topp said he invited all MPs to attend. 

Ottawa police say they expect more protests and larger than usual crowds during Canada Day celebrations in the capital this July as groups related to the Freedom Convoy continue to plan protests. 

In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said it is "working with Canada Day organizers and our policing partners to implement a public safety plan that allows all Canadians and visitors to freely and safely enjoy the capital during this celebration."

Significant road closures and an increased police presence are expected. Police say additional resources from other services are being brought in.

Several groups — most formed out of the Freedom Convoy— are planning protests in Ottawa throughout the summer, including many of the key figures and prominent streamers involved in the ongoing "Freedom Movement."

A cohort that includes many of the groups involved in protests earlier this year, as well as some that have emerged since, is co-ordinating events throughout the summer. 

Protests are expected to take place on a mass scale in the city starting June 30 when James Topp, a veteran marching across Canada in protest of the remaining vaccine mandates, plans to end his cross-country journey at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. 

James Topp began walking to Ottawa in February, inspired by the Freedom Convoy and disturbed, he says, by government overreach. (CBC)

Topp began walking to Ottawa in February, inspired by the convoy protests and disturbed, he said, by government overreach affecting people who have chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"As it stands right now, I have not been invited back to work as of yet," he said. "This entire march, the purpose of it was to serve as a protest. I felt it was a violation in several different ways." 

Topp said there was no talk of dropping vaccine mandates when he started the protest. He intends on meeting with MPs once he arrives in Ottawa. 

"I felt compelled to appeal to these Members of Parliament and have a conversation that wasn't had earlier this year with the other protesters that had gone to Ottawa, so this is my protest in my way," he said. 

It's not known which MPs have agreed to speak with Topp.

The Rolling Thunder rally took place on the last weekend of April, but paled in comparison to the size of the convoy protests months earlier. (Michael Charles Cole/CBC)

Protest base planned for outside Ottawa

Topp's march is supported by Veterans 4 Freedom, one of the main groups responsible for organizing the Rolling Thunder protests that took place in April. 

The group's steering committee includes Tom Marazzo, who also gained prominence during the convoy protests in Ottawa, at times acting as an official spokesperson for protesters. He also ran in the Peterborough-Kawartha riding for the Ontario Party during the recent provincial election.

Andrew MacGillivray, who co-founded Veterans 4 Freedom, says the group has been liaising with Ottawa police about Topp's arrival. 

He also noted events will continue into Canada Day. A route of Topp's march into the city is circulating online, and plans for a weekend of camping downtown near Parliament Hill are in the works.

MacGillivray said the group wants to have the "least impact on citizens of Ottawa with their everyday life."

Ottawa police say residents have reached out with questions about the potential for protest around the national celebration on July 1, which won't take place on Parliament Hill this year.

"We will not allow for conditions that led to the unlawful protests in February to reoccur. We are applying lessons learned from the unlawful protest as well as the Rolling Thunder and associated protests to build our plan," the statement said. 

"We will continue an approach that prohibits vehicle-based protests in areas in and around places of national significance." 

MacGillivray said construction has begun on a permanent structure for protesters just outside Ottawa, which will act as a base throughout the summer.

"We're going to implement our strategy and plan to lean on the government through information, education, etc.," he said, adding they plan to leave around Labour Day weekend.

"The United States is and will remain our closest ally, but it could also become a source of threat and instability," says a newly published report written by a task force of former national security advisers, former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) directors, ex-deputy ministers, former ambassadors and academics. Members of the group have advised both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former prime minister Stephen Harper.

Now is the time for the federal government to rethink how it approaches national security, the report concludes.

The authors — some of whom had access to Canada's most prized secrets and briefed cabinet on emerging threats — say Canada has become complacent in its national security strategies and is not prepared to tackle threats like Russian and Chinese espionage, the "democratic backsliding" in the United States, a rise in cyberattacks and climate change.

"We believe that the threats are quite serious at the moment, that they do impact Canada," said report co-author Vincent Rigby, who until a few months ago served as the national security adviser to Trudeau.

"We don't want it to take a crisis for [the] government of Canada to wake up."

The report he helped write says that one area in need of a policy pivot is Canada's relationship with the United States.

Controversial Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson seized on the convoy protests to accuse Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of having declared a 'dictatorship.' (Screenshot/FoxNews.com)

Thomas Juneau, co-director of the task force and associate professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, said that while Canada's right-wing extremism is homegrown, cross-border connections between extremist groups are alarming.

"There are growing transnational ties between right-wing extremists here and in the U.S., the movement of funds, the movement of people, the movement of ideas, the encouragement, the support by media, such as Fox News and other conservative media," he said.

Convoy was a 'wakeup call,' says adviser

He pointed to state Sen. Doug Mastriano's recent win in the Republican primary for governor of Pennsylvania. Mastriano is a well-known proponent of the lie that election fraud caused former president Donald Trump's loss in 2020.

"There are serious risks of democratic backsliding in the U.S. and at this point, that is not a theoretical risk," Juneau said.

"So all of that is a serious threat to our sovereignty, to our security, and in some cases, to our democratic institutions ... We need to rethink our relationship with the United States."

The report points to the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa in February and associated blockades in a handful of border towns earlier this winter. What started as a broad protest against COVID-19 restrictions morphed into a even broader rally against government authority itself, with some protesters calling for the overthrow of the elected government.

RCMP said that at the protest site near Coutts, Alta., they seized a cache of weapons; four people now face a charge of conspiracy to murder.

It "should be a wakeup call," said Rigby.

"We potentially dodged a bullet there. We really did. And we're hoping that the government and ... other levels of government have learned lessons."

Alberta RCMP submitted this photo of what they say is a cache of firearms and ammunition found in three trailers near a protest blockade of the Canada-U.S. border at Coutts, Alta. (RCMP)

The Canadian protests drew support from politicians in the U.S. and from conservative media outlets, including Fox News, says the report.

"This may not have represented foreign interference in the conventional sense, since it was not the result of actions of a foreign government. But it did represent, arguably, a greater threat to Canadian democracy than the actions of any state other than the United States," the report says.

"It will be a significant challenge for our national security and intelligence agencies to monitor this threat, since it emanates from the same country that is by far our greatest source of intelligence."

During the convoy protest, Fox host Tucker Carlson — whose show draws in millions of viewers every night — called Trudeau a "Stalinist dictator" on air and accused him of having "suspended democracy and declared Canada a dictatorship."

Carlson himself has been under attack recently for pushing the concept of replacement theory — a racist concept that claims white Americans are being deliberately replaced through immigration.

The theory was cited in the manifesto of the 18-year-old man accused in the mass shooting in a predominately Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this month.

The conspiracy theory also has been linked to previous mass shootings, including the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Calls for new national security strategy

"When we think about threats to Canada, we think about the Soviet military threat, we think about al-Qaeda, we think about the rise of China, we think about the war in Ukraine. All of these are true. But so is the rising threat to Canada that the U.S. poses," said Juneau.

"That's completely new. That calls for a new way of thinking and new way of managing our relationship with the U.S."

The conversation with the U.S. doesn't have to be uncomfortable but it does need to happen, said Rigby.

"It certainly would not be couched in a way of, 'You're the source of our problems.' That would not be the conversation. The conversation would be, 'How can we help each other?'" he said.

"We had those conversations during President Trump's tenure and business continues. Does it become a little bit more challenging when you have a president like Mr. Trump? Absolutely, without a doubt. But we are still close, close allies."

It's why both Rigby and Juneau are hoping the report will spur the government to launch a new national security strategy review — something that hasn't happened since 2004.

"I know there's a certain cynicism around producing these strategies ... another bulky report that's going to end up on a shelf and gather dust," said Rigby. 

"But if they're done properly, they're done fast and they're done efficiently and effectively — and our allies have done them — they can work and they're important."

The report makes a number of recommendations. It wants a review of CSIS's enabling legislation, more use of open-source intelligence and efforts to strengthen cyber security. It also urges normally secretive intelligence agencies to be more open with the public by disclosing more intelligence and publishing annual threat assessments.

"There's a new expanded definition of national security. It's not your grandparents' national security," said Rigby.

"It's time to step out of the shadows and step up and confront these challenges."