Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Monday that the federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act “to supplement provincial and territorial capacity to address lockdowns and occupations” related to protests over coronavirus health measures. covid-19.
“This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting people’s jobs and restoring faith in our institutions,” Trudeau said during a news conference in Ottawa, adding that the law would be limited geographically and in scope.
Canadian law, passed in 1988 but never used before, states: “For the purposes of this Act, a national emergency is an urgent and critical situation of a temporary nature” that cannot be dealt with effectively under any other Canadian law.
Trudeau said the government is not calling in the Army.
The Emergencies Law may provide for the use of the armed forces, but it does not necessarily lead to that. It can temporarily suspend the rights of citizens to free movement or assembly.
The complaints from the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protesters stem from Canada’s new mandate requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated when crossing the Canada-US border or face a two-week quarantine.
For nearly a week, protesters blocked the bridge linking Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, cutting off a key trade route and dealing economic blows to both the United States and Canada.
The protest has drawn support from thousands more Canadians, including some who are fully vaccinated but say they want all Covid-19 preventative measures removed.
Authorities seized 13 long guns, pistols, several sets of bulletproof vests, a machete, and a large quantity of ammunition and high-capacity magazines related to a small group organized within a larger protest at the US-Canada border crossing. in Coutts, Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Monday.