No Kings Day Protest Ottawa

As a dual US-Canadian citizen living in Ottawa, the last year has been a unique emotional ride. I want to do what I can to resist the administration from here–but I also want to acknowledge the privilege I have of having more cushion against MAGA’s trashing of the US government, compared to my family and my US friends. I also want to stay engaged with Canadian politics without getting distracted by the chaos of the news cycle that can be dominated by US news generally, because I understand that much of what happens in the US also happens in Canada, at least in themes.

So it’s with this perspective that I attended the No Kings protest in Ottawa organized by Indivisible Ottawa at the US Embassy on Saturday November 18. On that day, an estimated 7 million people gathered to protest the Trump administration’s many legal, civil, and humanitarian violations. Indivisible Ottawa’s stated goals are to protect equality and democracy in the US and in Canada. Its members are composed of US citizens, dual citizens, and Canadian citizens. It is estimated that hundreds of people attended the event in Ottawa.

Indivisible Ottawa has been protesting the new administration every week, Saturdays from 2-3pm in front of the US Embassy, since the inauguration in January, so this event aligned with their usual schedule.

Like many of the recent protests in the US, this protest drew on humour and silliness to subvert the power overreach and violence behind the administration. My protest buddy and I saw many inflatable creatures, creative costumes and funny signs, paired with a calm and welcoming atmosphere where police were scarcely in sight, and protesters were mindful to share space with pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

My concern though is that as Canadians watch what is happening in the United States, they are not paying enough attention to the authoritarian impulses becoming emboldened in Canada, in part because of the distraction offered by events in the US. Twin legislation in Ontario, and federally, called Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, and Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, were passed in June 2025 that allow province or “nation-building” projects (mostly fossil-fuel extraction and adjacent projects) to be fast-tracked to avoid previously required legal processes that function to consider the needs of nature, Indigenous peoples, and the general public in relation to the proposed project. This represents a consolidation of government power and prioritizes projects that concentrate wealth while undermining equity, justice, democratic and environmental goals.

Nova Scotia and Alberta have also been seeing a wide variety of power-concentrating actions over the last several years. In Nova Scotia, Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative Party is requiring universities to align their research interests with the government’s mandates and reversing fracking bans without consultation, and has attempted to–though later backtracked–both fire the Auditor General without cause and limit journalists' access to the legislature.  In Alberta, the United Conservative Party governments led by Danielle Smith and previously Jason Kenney have been attempting to create a provincial police force, ban school library books, and give the province the power to interfere with municipal councils and bylaws.

And so, while I was heartened to see so many in attendance on Oct 18th, I actually felt more hopeful seeing the thousands of people turning out at the Sept 20^th Draw the Line coalition protest of Carney’s government priorities in downtown Ottawa. The event coincided with 70 other events across Canada, with the following interconnected demands: 

• Put people over corporate profit. Fund our families and communities.

• Refuse ongoing colonialism. Uphold Indigenous Sovereignty.

• Stop blaming migrants. Demand full immigration status for all now.

• End the war machine. Stand for peace and justice.

• End the era of fossil fuels. Protect Mother Earth.

The author and the photographer of this article have both requested to remain anonymous.