Trudeau declares national emergency over Canadian trucker protests, allowing government to override civil rights
Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images
- Canadian truckers have been protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates since late last month.
- On Saturday, police began clearing out protests blocking a crucial bridge on the US-Canada border.
- On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national emergency.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national emergency over ongoing trucker protests, allowing the nation's government to temporarily override civil rights.
"The scope of these measures will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address," Trudeau said at a press conference on Monday.
The far-reaching Emergencies Act gives the Canadian government the ability to prohibit public assembly, restrict travel, and force businesses — such as towing companies — to act, with compensation.
Trudeau said Canada's 1998 Emergencies Act will be used to "strengthen and support law enforcement agencies at all levels across the country."
Canada's anti-vaccine mandate "Freedom Convoy" trucker protests have caused major gridlock and disruption across the country.
reported that this is the first time the Act was used in the country.
Aron Solomon, a chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital, in Montreal, Canada told Insider this is the first time the Emergencies Act was used. The Act replaced The War Measures Act, which had previously been invoked during the 1970 October Crisis. Solomon said the Emergencies Act replaced the War Measures Act so it could align with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which came in 1982.
Solomon said the Freedom Convoy, Canadian truckers who began protesting cross-border COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa on January 29 have essentially "shut the city down."
"It's been extremely disruptive to local residents," he said.
Diane Deans, the chair of Ottawa's police board, said the protests turned into a "nationwide insurrection," and a state of emergency was put into place in Ottawa.
On Saturday, police began clearing out protesters that had been blocking a bridge on the US-Canada border for the previous few days.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
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