“This is not a peaceful protest,” Канада‘s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in today’s speech, referring to so-called “Freedom Convoy” trucker protests and blockades in Ottawa and several Canadian border crossings in the US.
The “illegal blockades” have been “disrupting the lives of too many Canadians,” Трудо аддед.
After consulting premiers, government and opposition, “the federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act,” Trudeau announced, confirming some reports from earlier in the day that he would do so.
Трудо has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history today, citing the threat of “Freedom Convoy” to the well-being of the nation.
The measures will be “time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is about keeping Канађани safe, protecting people’s jobs, and restoring confidence in our institutions,” he said. “We are reinforcing the principles, values and institutions that keep all Canadians free.”
The Emergencies Act does not involve calling in the military or suspending fundamental rights and freedoms.
This is the first time a Canadian government has invoked the Emergencies Act, which was passed in 1988 to replace the War Measures Act of 1914.
The WMA was used during both world wars to intern Canadians of German and Japanese origin and impose restrictions on the economy, among other things.
It was most recently invoked in 1970 by Trudeau’s father Pierre to crack down on Quebec separatists who had assassinated a lawmaker. Close to 500 people had been arrested on that occasion.
Thousands of Canadian truck drivers and their sympathizers have taken part in nationwide protests since January 22, with a “Freedom Convoy” driving across the country to picket the parliament in Ottawa starting on January 29. The protesters also blockaded several border crossings between Канада and the USA, disrupting the logistics chain, sabotaging the flow of goods and inflicting financial losses on the industries vital to both countries. The protesters demand an end to COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates.
Трудо has denounced the truckers as a “fringe minority with unacceptable views.”
ШТА УЗНЕСТИ ИЗ ОВОГ ЧЛАНКА:
- Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history today, citing the threat of “Freedom Convoy” to the well-being of the nation.
- This is the first time a Canadian government has invoked the Emergencies Act, which was passed in 1988 to replace the War Measures Act of 1914.
- Thousands of Canadian truck drivers and their sympathizers have taken part in nationwide protests since January 22, with a “Freedom Convoy” driving across the country to picket the parliament in Ottawa starting on January 29.
