Canada invokes the Emergencies Act for the first time in 50 years as protests against COVID restrictions intensify
Canada invokes the Emergencies Act for the first time in 50 years as protests against COVID restrictions intensify
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For the first time in 50 years, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the Emergencies Act on Monday (local time) to give the federal government the authority to deal with persistent trucker blockades and protests against COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. “It is clearly evident that there are substantial difficulties to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law,” Trudeau said during a press conference on Parliament Hill.

The restrictions, according to Trudeau, will be geographically targeted and “fair and proportionate to the concerns they are supposed to address.”

The unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act provides police with extra options to restore order in situations where public meetings constitute illegal and dangerous acts, such as blockades and occupations, he said.

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The government is also designating and securing important places such as border crossings and airports. Invoking the act will also allow the government to ensure that critical services, such as towing services to remove trucks, are provided, according to Trudeau.

According to CBC News, the act also allows the federal government to direct financial institutions to provide vital services to handle the issue and prohibits the use of the property to pay or assist illegal blockades.

The act, according to Trudeau, will also allow the RCMP to enforce municipal regulations and provincial offences as needed.

“This is about keeping Canadians safe, defending employment, and restoring trust in our institutions,” Trudeau added.

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What is the Emergencies Act, Canada protests?

A national emergency is defined as a temporary “urgent and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health, or safety of Canadians and is of such magnitudes or nature that it exceeds a province’s capacity or authority to deal with it,” according to the Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in the 1980s.

According to the report, the Act gives exceptional authority to respond to emergency situations impacting public welfare (natural disasters, disease epidemics), public order (civil unrest), foreign emergencies, or war emergencies.

It empowers the cabinet to “adopt unusual temporary measures that may not be suitable in regular times” in order to deal with a “urgent and critical emergency” and the consequent ramifications. It is still protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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Ottawa police have stated that they are outnumbered by people opposing vaccine mandates in the city.

Despite a provincial state of emergency, demonstrators came to the city’s centre over the weekend, ignoring the possibility of imprisonment and jail time.

Demonstrators have set up tents, a stage, a giant video screen, and even a hot tub on numerous streets, including Wellington Street, which runs directly in front of the Parliament Buildings and Prime Minister’s Office.

The “restricted police enforcement powers” are due to “safety concerns,” according to Ottawa police, which include “aggressive, illegal behaviour” by demonstrators.

Police dismantled a roadblock of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, a critical supply connection between Canada and the United States, earlier Sunday, making 12 arrests.

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At the conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was joined by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, as well as Ministers David Lametti (justice), Marco Mendicino (public safety), and Bill Blair (emergency preparedness).