"It is a last resort": Trudeau doubles down on use of Emergencies Act

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is doubling down on the use of the controversial Emergencies Act after the opposition leader accused him of running a “dictatorship.”

On Thursday, the House of Commons began the debate over the federal government’s decision to invoke the never-before-used legislation. The declaration of an emergency came after weeks of “Freedom Convoy” protests across the country, which occupied the nation’s capital and blocked critical border crossings.

The Liberal government formally tabled the act in the House on Wednesday night.

“Invoking the emergencies act is not something that we do lightly,” stated Trudeau in the House of Commons. “It’s not the first option, or even the second or the third. It is a last resort.”

Invoking the Emergencies Act is never the first thing a government should do – or even the second. It is a last resort. Watch live as I speak in the House about why we’re taking this step, and how it’ll help address the illegal blockades and occupations: https://t.co/zowseAmoxY

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 17, 2022

This comes after Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen slammed the prime minister’s decision on Wednesday, accusing him of making the situation worse.

“I understand the prime minister admires basic dictatorships, but let’s remind the prime minister this is Canada, this is not a dictatorship,” she said in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister continues to make the situation worse to save his own career. pic.twitter.com/ZMqRgwElOt

— Candice Bergen (@CandiceBergenMP) February 16, 2022

On Thursday, Trudeau reiterated that the scope of the legislation is temporary, targeted, reasonable and proportionate.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh questioned why the federal government “argued over jurisdiction” for weeks as the occupation continued, instead of taking action.

“What responsibility does the Prime Minister take for the inaction that made the emergencies act necessary?” said Singh.

This is a question that some organizations are also asking. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has denounced the implementation of the law saying the federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Act.

Trudeau responded saying that the government has been supplying resources and working closely with local police.

According to the federal government, in order to declare a public order emergency, there needs to be “an emergency that arises from threats to the security of Canada that are so serious as to be a national emergency.”

“I hope that all members would recognize that the kind of conduct that we have seen at our borders puts into serious question, the integrity and the security of this country,” said Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino in the House of Commons.

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He went on to list the economic impacts of the border blockades. According to Mendocino, the impact at Coutts, Alberta, has cost the Canadian economy about $48 million per day. In Windsor, Ontario — a critical trade border with the US — the protests have cost the economy about $390 million.

Mendicino also says that the protests are no longer about vaccines, COVID-19 mandates or freedom.

“It is about a very small organized and targeted group of individuals who are trying to strip away the very freedoms that we here are sworn to uphold,” he said.

The “Freedom Convoy” does include white supremacist members, including Pat King, a far-right protester who has gained attention online for racist videos.

The act has allowed Ottawa police to arrest any protesters blocking streets in the city, and for banks to freeze the accounts of any person or organization related to the convoy.