Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government will end the Emergencies Act he invoked to end the Freedom Convoy. He only promised to keep it intact two days ago:
Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency. Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act.We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe. Of course, we’ll continue to be there to support provincial and local authorities if and when needed. I want to reassure Canadians law enforcement agencies are prepared to deal with anyone engaging in unlawful or dangerous activities. Police officers will continue to be there to protect our streets and neighborhoods within their jurisdictions.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told financial institutions the lenders can “unlock those accounts after law-enforcement officers successfully shut down the protest in Ottawa.”
Trudeau announced the decision as the Senate debated the use of the Emergencies Act after the House of Commons voted to keep it in place.
Trudeau also faced immense criticism using the Emergencies Act to end the Freedom Convoy protest, including from The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA):
Abby Deshman said the CCLA filed a lawsuit to hold Trudeau accountable for exercising the emergency act’s power, arguing the legislation should only be used for true national emergencies.”They really refer to violent threats to overthrow the government,” Deshman told Hill.TV on Monday. “We’re really concerned about the use of this type of national security legislation on what we essentially see as a domestic [and] very, very difficult protest situation.”
Deshman also said Parliament did meet the strict and specific threshold needed to uphold it: “Protests are often disruptive, that doesn’t mean they are violent. But they are often disruptive: we’ve had protests that have blockaded railways, we’ve had protests that have taken over the streets of downtown cities for months at a time. All of those things have happened and been dealt with under normal policing powers.”
I bet this means the Senate was not going to vote in favor of keeping the Emergencies Act in place.
However, I doubt this means they’ll release the hundreds of people the police arrested. I doubt the police will stop gathering intelligence on those who attended to make sure they don’t come back!
I wonder if this means Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson can’t sell the vehicles and equipment the city confiscated from the protesters.
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