Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that the Emergencies Act, invoked in response to truckers protesting COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates, would no longer be in use.
“The situation is no longer an emergency, therefore the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act,” Trudeau told reporters during a press conference. “We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are sufficient.”
The decision follows the violent clearing of the Freedom Convoy and other protesters from the Canadian capital city of Ottawa by local and federal police that injured several civilians. (RELATED: Crowdfunding Platform Supporting Freedom Convoy Hacked, Leak Site Says)
Police gather to clear protestors against Covid-19 vaccine mandates who blocked the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on February 13, 2022. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Trudeau first invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday of last week, citing economic disruptions caused by the presence of the truckers as well as the alleged threat to “public safety” posed by the protesters. The act vastly expanded the powers of Canadian authorities to crack down on protesters, allowing them to direct banks to freeze accounts, impose fines and prison sentences, and cordon off certain areas of the city.
While Trudeau rescinded the Emergencies Act, the Canadian prime minister left open the possibility that authorities may again crack down on protesters, promising to surveil anti-mandate activities.
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