In a news conference on Monday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, which allows the federal government to take “special temporary measures” for 30 days during national emergencies as anti-government trucker protests continue to swell nationwide.
The declaration of the Emergencies Act, which has happened for the first time in Canada’s history, bestows more power on the government. It would supplement both “provincial and territorial capacities to address the blockades and occupations,” according to Trudeau.
“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 PM continued. “The Emergencies Act will be used to strengthen and support law enforcement agencies at all levels across the country.”
The decision stemmed from the ire that has been sparked within the trucking sector and the massive disruption that their protests have caused, according to al Jazeera.
Late last month, anti-vaccine truckers and their supporters flocked to the streets of Ottawa, calling on Trudeau to scrap an order requiring them to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being allowed to cross the land border with the United States.
Since then, far-right activists from the Freedom Convoy have occupied the city, demanding an end to all coronavirus restrictions in Canada. Accordingly, similar protests emerged at border crossings that disrupted leading trade routes.
By Saturday night, the Ambassador Bridge remained inaccessible to the public, with police hugely outnumbered by the protesters, the New York Times reported.
The Emergencies Act in 1988 replaced the War Measures Act, which was previously invoked during WWI and WWII, and by Trudeau’s father, then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, in 1970 during the October Crisis. At the time, rights groups slammed the use of the previous act as an infringement of civil liberties.
During his appearance as a “New Abnormal” guest, Canadian author Jeet Heer further explained some of the trucker’s demands, such as a plan to get rid of the government and arrest Trudeau, the Daily Beast noted.
In addition, Heer mentioned several gonzo conspiracy theorists are claiming that former Cuban president Fidel Castro is the biological father of Justin. Castro, a communist revolutionary, established Cuba as the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.