globalnews.ca
14.02.2022 / 20:03
57%
968
Trudeau expected to invoke Emergencies Act to aid convoy blockade response: sources
Justin Trudeau is expected to announce Monday he will invoke emergency powers to support provinces in ending the blockades and public disorder that have gripped Ottawa for 18 days, Global News has confirmed.One national security source and one source that participated in a Monday morning Liberal national caucus meeting said the government is poised to invoke the act and that senior officials are preparing for an imminent announcement.Multiple sources have also told Global News federal officials are weighing options for the military to help law enforcement with logistics. But there is no plan at this time, according to the sources, to have the military help police in dealing with civilians or deploying into the streets.What exactly are the powers coming into play? Let’s take a look.First, a quick history recap: the Emergencies Act is not the War Measures Act.The War Measures Act was the controversial piece of legislation that Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, used back in 1970 during the October Crisis, which saw a series of terrorist attacks by a Quebec separatist group.The law allowed the federal government to suspend civil liberties, and it was in response to questions over how far Trudeau senior would go in suspending these liberties that he offered the infamous phrase: “Just watch me.”That law, however, was repealed and replaced in 1988.