Canada protesters bring children to witness 'history'

Among the trucks, placards and campfires at protests in Ottawa that have brought the city centre to a halt stand makeshift hockey nets and a playground.

Hundreds of protesters have occupied the Canadian capital for two weeks, and many have brought their children to see "history" in the making.

Outside the Canadian Parliament building, a young mother walks with her nine-month-old daughter in a baby carrier, holding a sign that reads: "Just an average mom teaching her girls to stand up to bullies."

Another woman, Katherine Welk, described herself as a "mom on a mission."

Welk, who has received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, says she has had "enough" of Covid regulations.

"My oldest is going to school in September, I don't want her to go to school with a mask on," said Welk, 32, her platinum blond hair tied back in a ponytail.

She had never mobilized like this for a cause before, but now is on her second day on the streets of Ottawa.

She told her four-year-old daughter that the demonstration was "a big party to celebrate freedom," said Welk, who plans to come back on Friday to continue protesting.

The trucker-led protests have shut down central Ottawa for 14 days, trying to force the government to lift Covid-19 health regulations.

The so-called Freedom Convoy began last month in western Canada -- launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or test and isolate, when crossing the US-Canada border.

Having snowballed into an occupation of Canada's capital, the protest has sparked solidarity rallies across the nation and abroad.

CHILD WELFARE CONCERNS

"I want them to experience this history and see all the good happening and understand why their father is here," said Dan, 36, of his children.

A construction worker who supports the truckers, he declined to give his last name.

Dan, who sports a red beard and lumberjack-style clothes, came with his wife and two children, both under the age of 10.

"My wife has been... educating them on what's going on," he said.

It's not unusual for protesters' children to sneak in among the adults outside Parliament to watch the stage, improvised on a truck, where protesters take turns giving speeches or playing music.

On Tuesday, Ottawa police said that "approximately 25 percent of heavy vehicles are currently being used to house families with children."

The Children's Aid Society of Ottawa said in a statement Wednesday they have received reports regarding "child welfare concerns amid the Ottawa protest."

"Today, I made them miss a day of school," said Laurence Martin, a 36-year-old substitute teacher, who came to the protest with her two young daughters.

But school day or no, the single mother says she is "there for them," because her children "suffered a lot" during Canada's lockdown.