OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act that gives his government the power to prohibit public assembly and travel in response to the weekslong trucker protests that have brought the country’s capital to a standstill.
The extraordinary powers give the Liberal leader 30 days effectively to shut down demonstrations that began in Ottawa but quickly spread across the country and the border to protest all manner of COVID-19 restrictions.
“This was the necessary and responsible thing to do,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said the emergency measures “will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.”
Trudeau made the announcement flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.
While use of the Emergencies Act has to be put before Parliament within seven days and could be stricken if it does not have enough votes in the House of Commons and the Senate, it will still go into effect Monday afternoon.
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Not everyone is behind the controversial step.
Several Canadian premiers have already spoken out against using the Emergencies Act, including Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.
“I understand there is a particular problem in Ontario and in Ottawa, and we are ready to support what needs to be done by the federal and Ontario government as well as the municipal government in Ottawa, but we do not wish to have Emergency State in Quebec,” Legault said.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said she wasn’t on board either, adding that the “Emergencies Act are not constructive here in Manitoba, where caution must be taken against overreach and unintended negative consequences.”
In Ottawa, Trudeau has become public enemy No. 1 among protesters who faulted him for refusing to meet with them or hearing their concerns. They also took issue when he referred to them as lawless members of a fringe minority.
“If thousands of people come to Ottawa and keep coming, and there are protests everywhere, does that still make us the minority?” protester Alice Chapman told the Washington Examiner shortly before Trudeau’s announcement. “We’re here, and we’ll still be here.”
Others accused Trudeau of “throwing a temper tantrum” and echoed Chapman saying they are “not going anywhere.”
As Trudeau worked to shut down the Ottawa protests over COVID-19 rules, several other provinces across Canada began easing their coronavirus-related restrictions.
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On Monday, Ontario announced it would lift indoor capacity limits in public settings effective Thursday.
Alberta, in western Canada, lifted its school mask mandate, with Kenney, a member of the Conservative Party and head of the provincial government, tweeting Sunday that “kids must come first as we lift damaging restrictions” and that he was “looking forward to all the smiling faces tomorrow.”
