Canadian Government Invokes ‘Emergencies Act’

In response to the blockades and protests over Covid-19 measures in Canada, the Canadian government is invoking the Emergencies Act for the first time in history. The Emergencies Act can provide the use of the military but may not necessarily lead to that and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is not bringing them in at this time. It can also temporarily suspend citizens’ rights to free movement or assembly and the government is taking steps to stop financial support of illegal protests. The law was passed in 1988 and states “for the purposes of this act, a national emergency is an urgent and critical situation of a temporary nature that cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada.” Trudeau said the government is not overriding the charter or rights and freedoms or limiting the right to peacefully assembly. The news comes after the Ambassador Bridge reopened on Sunday after being blocked for almost a week.