Althia Raj: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seeking to invoke never-used Emergencies Act to deal with convoy protesters, sources say
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is seeking to invoke the never-used Emergencies Act to deal with protesters crippling Canada's borders.
The Act gives the federal government extraordinary 30-day time-limited powers, to prohibit public assembly, travel, and the use of specific property. It would allow Ottawa to designate protected places and force tow-truck companies, for example, to lend their trucks to the government to clear the roads. The Liberal government does not intend to use the Act to call in the army for now, two sources said.
Trudeau's cabinet met last night to discuss the issue. It's the first time the Emergencies Act could be enacted. It was mulled over in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic but most premiers felt the reach was unnecessary.
Trudeau's father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, invoked a precursor of this Act, then known as the War Measures Act, sending the armed forces to deal with the FLQ crisis in Quebec in 1970. Back then, Quebec premier Robert Bourassa called for federal help.
Trudeau will be consulting with the provinces Monday morning. The Act makes consultation mandatory. If the emergency is strictly limited to a province, that provincial cabinet can veto federal action. Speaking at Queen's Park Monday morning, Premier Doug Ford said he would "support the federal government and any proposals they have to bring law and order back to our province," including the use of the emergencies act.
Ford said it's crucial to "stabilize our businesses and trade around the world, as the world is watching us right now, wondering if it's a stable environment to open up businesses and expand businesses."
The "occupiers are doing the total opposite of what they say they are there to do. They are hurting hundreds of thousands of families and millions of jobs across the province," he said.
The Emergencies Act will require Parliamentary approval within seven days after a declaration is issued. The Liberal caucus was briefed on the matter Monday morning. Both the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois have called on Ottawa to enact tougher measures to deal with demonstrators at the U.S. border crossings and with those who've taken over the downtown streets of Canada's capital.
With files from Kristin Rushowy
Althia Raj is an Ottawa-based national politics columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @althiaraj