TRUDEAU RULES OUT NEGOTIATING WITH PROTESTORS , SAYS MILITARY DEPLOYMENT " Not In The Cards".

Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada : Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is giving no sign he's willing to negotiate with the protesters occupying Ottawa who are demanding either an end to all vaccine mandates or a change in government.

The protest, now almost a week old, started in opposition to the federal government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. It has since expanded into a movement against broader public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including provincial vaccine mandates, masks and restrictions.

During a Thursday press conference, Tamara Lich — the woman behind the now paused GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $10 million to support the protest — insisted protesters plan to stay in the city until their demands are met.

Daniel Minden, spokesperson for Defence Minister Anita Anand, told Wednesday night that the Canadian Armed Forces are not currently involved in law enforcement in Ottawa and have no plans to get involved.

"One has to be very, very cautious before deploying military forces in situations engaging Canadians. It is not something that anyone should enter in lightly," Trudeau said Thursday.