#Canada; #CanadaPM; #EmergenciesAct; #TruckersConvoyProtests; #Blockades
Ottawa/CMEDIA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday that he is revoking the Emergencies Act is after it was invoked just over a week ago in response to the ongoing trucker convoy blockades and protests.
The Emergencies Act was deployed as a powerful legislative tool in response to protests and blockades that erupted in Ottawa and at border crossings over recent weeks.
“The situation is no longer an emergency,” Trudeau told a news conference.
“We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe.”
The Governor-General signed off on the revocation on Wednesday afternoon, which formally ended the state of emergency.
“Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency. Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act,” the prime minister said.
Trudeau added while the “immediate emergency situation is over” the issue itself “won’t go away.”
“We need to constantly work to defend and improve our democracy at home and around the world,” he said, speaking to reporters.
Ottawa police said the act helped them and officers from outside of Ontario to participate in the operation to end the protests.
