Canada to invoke Emergencies Act to deal with protests: reports
Posted Feb 14, 2022 04:03:00 PM.
Reports suggest the prime minister will be invoking the Emergencies Act in order to deal with convoy protests.
The demonstrations have clogged downtown Ottawa and a number of Canada-U.S. border crossings for more than two weeks.
According to a number of outlets, Justin Trudeau will inform Canada’s premier’s about his decision in a call Monday morning.
The Emergencies Act is one that would “authorize the taking of special temporary measures to ensure safety and security during national emergencies and to amend other Acts in consequence thereof.”
This would be the first time the act would be invoked since its creation in the 1980s. It replaced the War Measures Act, which was invoked by Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, for the October Crisis, when politicians were being kidnapped.
Today, I convened another Incident Response Group meeting. We covered further actions the government can take to help end the blockades and occupations. We’ll keep working urgently on this – to protect jobs, public safety, our neighbourhoods, and our economy.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 14, 2022
While the announcement is expected to come Monday morning, the various reports suggest the federal government still has no plans to deploy the military at this time.
The prime minister convened another Incident Response Group meeting Sunday, during which “further actions the government can take to help end the blockades and occupations” were discussed, according to Trudeau.
“We’ll keep working urgently on this – to protect jobs, public safety, our neighbourhoods, and our economy,” his tweet reads.
The federal government has been among those to be criticized for its response — or lack thereof — to the ongoing protests.
On Monday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CityNews it’s up to the federal government to make the call as to when the Emergencies Act is a necessary step.
“There’s no sense in passing regulations and legislations, and implementing legislation if you don’t have the muscle to back up the paper it’s written on,” he said.
