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The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, repealed on Wednesday the emergency law he had invoked just a few days ago to deal with the truckers’ protests that have been taking place in the country for weeks.
Trudeau assured that the situation has been brought under control, prompting him to make this decision. “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,” he said at a press conference in Ottawa.
Despite the move, Trudeau insisted the protests could continue and called the demonstrations a “threat.” “Let’s be very clear: The threat continues. We do see, whether it’s social media activity or people who continue to be focused on protesting, and perhaps illegally protesting, that we need to be monitoring,” he said.
Invoking the emergencies law
Several leaders and organizations warned about the dangers of emergencies law enforcement in Canada.
For example, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association warned last week about the threat posed by invoking the Emergencies Act in the country and stressed that it was a threat to democracy and the individual liberties of citizens.
“Governments regularly deal with difficult situations, and do so using powers granted to them by democratically elected representatives. Emergency legislation should not be normalized. It threatens our democracy and our civil liberties,” the association stated.
