2 Arrested in Greenpeace Protest Outside Poilievre’s Official Residence

Greenpeace climate activist Keith Stewart, left, is handcuffed by Ottawa Police Service officers after being arrested by the OPS for taking part in a sit-in styled protest calling for greater climate change awareness by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, outside of Stornoway, the official residence of the country's official opposition, in Ottawa, on Nov. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Two Greenpeace protesters were arrested on Nov. 21 after chaining themselves to a replica oil pumpjack outside the Ottawa residence of the Opposition leader.

Protesters placed the structure in the driveway of Stornoway residence, where Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre lives with his family. Greenpeace said in a release its activists staged the protest to draw attention to what they call Poilievre’s “anti-climate” agenda.

Ottawa police said 12 protesters were at the scene when officers arrived after 7 a.m.

“The group blocked access to the residence with a structure, and some proceeded to chain themselves to the structure, not allowing the family to pass,” police said in a news release.

The replica oil pumpjack placed in Poilievre’s driveway was decorated with charcoal from wood burned in the 2021 wildfire in Lytton, B.C., which was used to symbolize the cost of climate inaction, Greenpeace said.

The group said its activists staged the protest out of concern that Poilievre will stop Canada from achieving its goals under the 2030 Paris Agreement deadline.

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015.

For its part, Canada developed the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan outlining actions that were needed to reduce emissions. Ottawa’s goal is to see emissions reduced to 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The federal government says it aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and implemented the carbon tax as part of its plan to reach that goal.

Poilievre has been demanding the federal government cut the carbon tax, saying it has contributed to Canada’s cost-of-living crisis.

Police said four of the protesters unchained themselves from the oil rig at the request of their officers, but two refused to comply with their repeated orders. Both men were arrested.

Charges are pending as the investigation continues, police said, adding that threats of violence, property destruction, or other unlawful conduct are not protected under the Charter.

The two protesters were scheduled to appear in court on the afternoon of Nov. 21.

The incident at Poilievre’s residence is not the first time Greenpeace protesters have been arrested when targeting a politician.

Protesters entered Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s Toronto office in February to ask the government to introduce climate-related regulations for banks in the upcoming budget.

The protestors were wearing blue jumpsuits and were carrying sleeping bags. They staged a sit-in at the office. Freeland was not there at the time.

A letter addressed to the Finance Minister, written by Greenpeace Canada’s senior energy strategist Keith Steward, said the organization was concerned Ottawa would delay climate change policies that would see net zero emissions by 2050.

Reuters contributed to this report.