Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced on Monday that he will invoke emergency powers in response to protests by truckers and anti-vaccine groups that have demonstrated in different areas of the country.
Trudeau informed provincial premiers of the decision to use the Emergencies Act during a virtual meeting Monday morning, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said, citing several anonymous sources.
The law It will allow the government extraordinary powers, including the right to prohibit travel from or within any specified area and to seize property it deems necessary to deal with the situation.
Likewise, the government may order the provision of “essential services ” by anyone and impose emergency fines and arrest anyone who violates the orders.
This announcement marks precedent as it is the first time emergency powers have been enacted in Canada since 1988, which require an urgent and critical situation, of a temporary nature that endangers the life, health or safety of Canadians, in accordance with a government memorandum on the legislation.
However, applying emergency powers does not mean that the prime minister has decided to call in the army to break up the protests, as he has reiterated that it is a bad idea.
The pressure to intervene the protests has increased for the Trudeau government as a result of the demonstrations It has become stronger in recent days on the Ambassador Bridge, which marks the border between Canada and the United States.
These new powers are limited by Canada’s Bill of Rights, and will need to be reviewed by elected legislators. Then a public consultation must be carried out within 60 days after the end of the emergency, according to the legislation, and must present a report to parliament in a year.
The protests that have stood out in the capital Ottawa and the border area with the United States have reached a turning point after a judge authorized last Friday the police forces to disperse the demonstrations on the Ambassador Bridge, the same day that the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, declared a state of emergency.
Despite the fact that some provinces announced plans to get rid of Despite the covid restrictions, Trudeau has maintained the vaccination mandates that are under the control of his cabinet, including those for federal government workers, air travelers and truck drivers entering the country from the United States.
With information from Bloomberg