On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the Emergency Act to deal with demonstrators who shut down portions of Ottawa, including various border crossings with the United States.
Trudeau is an Authoritarian
On Monday, Trudeau notified his government and Canada’s premiers of his intentions. The statute, which superseded the War Measures Act in 1988, was used for the first time by the liberal government.
“The national government called the emergency act to enhance provincial and territorial efforts to address the barricades and incursions,” Trudeau declared at a media briefing.
“The bill will be used to enhance and assist law enforcement authorities at all levels throughout the country.”
😱 …..that totally insane crazy psychopath that is tyrannical #Trudeau and his so called government are calling the #canadian #truckers terrorists. He is also saying that #cryptocurrency is not legal!! He’s basically declared war on his own People. pic.twitter.com/yTrrQLBoz6
— Gillian McKeith (@GillianMcKeith) February 15, 2022
As per the prime minister, the Emergency Act provisions will “strengthen” law enforcement’s capacity to penalize and imprison demonstrators.
The law will be strictly enforced in “key infrastructure” sectors, including airports and border crossings. The measure also provides “critical services,” like hauling away trucks that impede roads and highways, according to Trudeau.
“Financial firms will also be empowered and ordered to provide crucial services to help address the issue,” Trudeau continued, “including by regulating and forbidding the use of the property to pay or support illegal barricades.”
The prime minister made it clear the Canadian military will not be used to disperse the protests.
No Troops Yet
“We’re not going to use the National Emergencies Act to summon the troops. We are not postponing fundamental human rights or disregarding the United Nations Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.”
“We are not restricting people’s right to free speech. We are not restricting people’s right to peaceful assembly. We are not prohibiting them from exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest,” Trudeau stated.
“We are reaffirming the ideals, values, and systems that keep all Canadians free.”
Imagine invoking the Emergency act for a
“small fringe” of people… #Trudeau#Coward 🇨🇦— Adam Brooks 🗽 (@EssexPR) February 15, 2022
The deployment of the Emergencies Act, according to the party leader, is a “last resort.”
Canada’s ministry of finance, Chrystia Freeland, later explained financial institutions have the right to “immediately discontinue providing financial services” if they suspect an account is being used to support illegal blockades and invasions.
This injunction applies to both personal and business accounts.
Crowdfunding systems, which protestors have used to keep their demonstrations going for weeks, would be subject to “Canada’s anti-money trafficking and terrorist financing legislation,” according to Freeland.
“These modifications apply to all types of transactions,” she explained.
A situation that “seriously jeopardizes the lives, health, or safety of citizens and is of such magnitude to surpass the capacity or power of a province to cope with it” is defined as an emergency under the Emergencies Act.
The “Liberty Convoy” held down sections of central Ottawa for three weeks in protest of COVID-19’s restricting tactics and vaccine requirements.
Protesters will continue to “keep up the pressure” against the Canadian government’s crackdown, according to convoy leader Tamara Leach.
