Ottawa – The federal government has until the end of the day to investigate the use of the Emergency Situations Act during the blockades of Canadian border crossings and in Ottawa earlier this year.
Millions of dollars in trade were halted for days at several border crossings, and streets in downtown Ottawa were flooded with protesters as part of a national convoy of large platforms and trucks protesting against COVID-19 restrictions.
In response, the Liberals cited the Emergency Situations Act on February 15, giving emergency powers to police to clear people and banks to freeze the accounts of those involved. For the first time, the law is used.
Provisional powers meant protesters and their supporters could face fines of up to $ 5,000 or five years in prison during a state of emergency.
At the time, Attorney General David Lametti said the government could not “allow our democratic system to be hijacked by demonstrations of force.”
While many people involved in the blockade said they were occupying the streets of Ottawa and blocking border crossings to demand an end to all restrictions on COVID-19, some, including many of the most vocal organizers, said they wanted a liberal government to be downloaded.
For most of February, Parliament Hill was full of people and trucks carrying placards and flags decorated with swear words aimed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The protests had a major impact on the people of Ottawa. Officials described a state of “lawlessness” in the area, as the regulations had not been enforced by police for three weeks and the sound of air horns could be heard at any time of the day or night.
The Emergency Law requires the government to investigate the use of the law within 60 days of the revocation of the declaration.
This will consider the circumstances that led to the declaration of the state of emergency and the measures taken to deal with it.
Several provincial prime ministers have spoken out against what they described as a serious abuse of power by the federal government, arguing that police already have all the powers they need to expel protesters.
The investigation is not the only post-death review of how governments and law enforcement have handled the protests.
Parliament has set up a party-wide committee to look at how the powers have been used, as required by law, and the Ottawa city’s chief auditor has begun reviewing the local response.
Lessons learned are unlikely to be detailed and delivered before another convoy, the one with motorcycles, is due to arrive in Ottawa next weekend.
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