PHOTOS | Intense emotions on display in Ottawa as police confront protesters

Police wearing helmets and armed with batons confronted vaccine mandate protesters in Ottawa on Saturday, the second day of efforts to retake control of downtown streets in the Canadian capital after weeks of demonstrations.

Officers from a number of different agencies methodically pushed protesters away from Parliament Hill throughout the day. Police said they used pepper spray at times — and later deployed "mid-range impact weapons" after they said protesters assaulted officers. 

Almost 50 protesters were arrested, while some big-rig trucks were towed away from Wellington Street — which protesters had occupied for three weeks — and the surrounding area. In other instances, drivers removed trucks voluntarily.

All this while mere metres away, the House of Commons debated the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act. 

CBC News photojournalist Evan Mitsui was in downtown Ottawa throughout the day, capturing arrests, intense confrontations and vivid emotions through his lens. Here is a selection of some of his photos.