Traffic was disrupted in downtown Ottawa late Friday afternoon because of a protest targeting the Conservative Party's national convention.

Ottawa police said 400 participated in the protest, which went peacefully with no arrests.

The group of anti-Harper demonstrators, some with their faces concealed by bandanas, began at Dundonald Park near Somerset Street West.

They marched to the Ottawa Convention Centre on Colonel By Drive, where the Conservatives are holding their national convention.

"The covered face is because I don't want people to be focused on my face, I want them to focusing on the message, and to know that I'm one of many," said one demonstrator who was inside a paper mâché model of Stephen Harper. "Any individual can make a difference . . . it's the action that counts,"

The majority of demonstrators from places like Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver said they want a peaceful demonstration, but there was a small group of black-clad protesters promising disruption.

There were canine and tactical units from Ottawa Police on scene.

Among the anti-Conservative speakers was Brigette DePape, a 21-year-old graduate from the University of Ottawa who was fired from her job as a senate page after she held up a cardboard sign that read "Stop Harper" at the start of last week's throne speech.

"We're here to come together to stop the Harper government," DePape said. "It's clearly destructive for my generation and the people in Canada."

"I think that Brigette wasn't just the one who inspired the outburst, but I think that it's something that was very real before," said one demonstrator. "This day of action was planned before her rise to fame but I think this really speaks to a cross-section of Canadian society that's here to oppose Harper and stand up for a number of other principles."

Police had warned motorists to expect some traffic disruptions in the area of the Ottawa Convention Centre from about 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Around 6:50 p.m. they said they had closed Colonel By Drive between Rideau Street and the Pretoria Bridge because of the protest. The road re-opened an hour later.

At that time, representatives from poverty and aboriginal groups were speaking to the crowd outside the convention centre, contained to an area away from the doors. The crowd dispersed shortly afterward.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kimothy Walker and Stefanie Masotti