Ottawa police chief resigns after prolonged protests against pandemic mandates

Ottawa police chief resigns after prolonged protests against pandemic mandates¹

Transcript²

The chief stepped down after extended demonstrations³ demanded an end to all COVID-19 measures. The resignation follows the federal government assuming emergency powers to help end the protests.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The chief of police in the city of Ottawa has stepped down following weeks-long disruptive demonstrations demanding an end to all COVID-19 measures.

Emma Jacobs reports the move comes shortly after the federal government assumed emergency powers to help end the protests.

EMMA JACOBS, BYLINE⁴: A mutually agreeable separation - that was the term used to describe the departure of Ottawa's embattled police chief.

Chair of the police services board, Diane Deans.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DIANE DEANS: Chief Peter Sloly is no longer employed with the Ottawa Police Service.

JACOBS: Sloly has been criticized for his force's failure to more forcefully confront demonstrators who have occupied downtown streets for nearly three weeks. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair, a former police chief himself, says Sloly was faced with a difficult job.

BILL BLAIR: Frankly⁵, I'm very saddened by this turn of events, and at the same time, I think there's an important job yet to be done to restore order and provide effective policing services to the people of Ottawa.

JACOBS: Earlier this week, the federal government invoked⁶ the Emergencies Act, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said gives government tools to assist local police dealing⁷ with blockades.

Premier⁸ Doug Ford⁹ of Ontario, the province that includes both Ottawa and the site of the now-ended blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, expressed support.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DOUG FORD: Whatever it takes to give the police the tools to go in there and get these people moving on.

JACOBS: Speaking from central Ottawa, Nomi Claire Lazar says she and her neighbors have been baffled and shaken by city police's failure to control demonstrators. But the University of Ottawa professor, who wrote a book on states of emergency, says she has questions about the federal government's decision to use the Emergencies Act.

NOMI CLAIRE LAZAR: I'm still on the fence. I haven't come to a conclusion myself with respect to whether this declaration is justified¹⁰.

JACOBS: She says more information may show emergency measures are necessary to address contributors, like funding, coming from other countries.

The executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, called invoking¹¹ the Emergencies Act a, quote, "wildly excessive response"

NOA MENDELSOHN AVIV: The Emergencies Act cannot be called out to deal with a very disruptive protest, even one that includes unlawful activity.

JACOBS: She expressed concern about the precedent¹² set for future demonstrations for other causes.

For NPR News, I'm Emily Jacobs in Montreal.

1 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

11 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

12 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。