OTTAWA – February 15 (ONLINE): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked an emergency measure for the first time in the country’s history to give his government more power to respond to ongoing anti-government trucker protests.
In a news conference on Monday afternoon, Trudeau said he was invoking the Emergencies Act, which allows the federal government to take “special temporary measures” for a period of 30 days during national emergencies.
“The federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act to supplement provincial and territorial capacity to address the blockades and occupations,” Trudeau told reporters.
“I want to be very clear: the scope of these measures will be time-limited, geographically-targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address. The Emergencies Act will be used to strengthen and support law enforcement agencies at all levels across the country.”
The Emergencies Act defines a national emergency as a situation that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it” or that “seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada”.
Anti-vaccine truckers and their supporters converged on the capital, Ottawa, late last month to demand Canada lift an order requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to cross the land border with the United States.
Members of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” – organised by far-right activists – have continued to occupy the city, demanding an end to all coronavirus restrictions in Canada. Other similar protests have sprung up at key border crossings and disrupted major trade routes.
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