police in the canadian capital, 0ttawa, have cleared a main protest site near parliament, which had been occupied by demonstrators for over three weeks. they've defended the use of pepper spray and stun grenades, saying officers faced aggressive resistance from protesting truck drivers. for their part, the demonstrators — who object to covid manadates — claim the police were heavy—handed. dozens of people have been arrested. downtown residents, we're focused on your safety. we are not going anywhere until you have your streets back. we are aware of protesters leaving the parliamentary precinct moving to surrounding neighbourhoods. we are working with our partners and we will remove these protesters peacefully from your area. this operation is still moving forward. it is not over and it will take more time until we have achieved our goals. well, earlier we spoke to mackenzie grey who's a journalist with ctv national news who told us police in ottawa had finally managed to take control of the parliamentary precinct and protesters were now beginning to disperse from the city centre.