The police are preparing for the third day of active confrontation with protesters in downtown Ottawa in hopes of ending the weeks-long occupation of the national capital.

Yesterday, hundreds of police officers moved, some wearing full riot gear and deploying pepper spray, more forcefully to clear the area in front of Parliament Square of people and vehicles illegally protesting public health measures for COVID-19.

Steve Bell, interim Ottawa police chief, said officers had no choice but to use greater force against protesters who ignored their repeated warnings to evacuate the area they had occupied for just over three weeks.

The police said 47 more people were arrested, bringing the total to 170 since Thursday, while dozens of vehicles, including many large trucks, either left on their own or were towed away.

They also said they deployed medium-range impact weapons last night after protesters allegedly assaulted officers with weapons, although no serious injuries were reported on either side.

This has been the second toughest day of police enforcement measures, as members of Parliament resumed debating the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to help end the protests, which continue in cities across Canada.

Meanwhile, peaceful protests were organized yesterday in solidarity with the Ottawa demonstration in Surrey, British Columbia, near a busy border crossing between Canada and the United States, as well as in Quebec City and Fredericton.