Trudeau to revoke Emergencies Act after convoy blockades end

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the Emergencies Act after 10 days that have seen police crack down to clear out hundreds of demonstrators with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” who had encamped in the nation’s capital for three weeks.

Trudeau made the announcement to end the use of the emergency powers at a press conference on Wednesday. Read more: Emergencies Act invoked because all levels of government failed to act, Singh says Trudeau said the government was confident that the existing laws and bylaws were now sufficient to keep Canadians safe. “Of course, we will continue to be there to support provincial and local authorities if and when needed,” he added.

The legislation, which replaced the contentious War Measures Act in 1988, allowed Trudeau’s government to declare the areas around Parliament Hill a place of prohibited assembly and granted RCMP the ability to share information about supporters of the convoy with financial institutions in order to freeze accounts. Read more: Ottawa trucker convoy anticipated to cost nearly $30M, city says Police from multiple jurisdictions in Ottawa used a gradually increasing level of force against demonstrators following dozens of warnings for them to leave the area in a push that began on Thursday evening and lasted through Sunday.

Nearly 200 people have been arrested and are facing nearly 400 charges. Several of the leading organizers and figures in the convoy are now behind bars; one of them, Tamara Lich, was denied bail on Tuesday while Pat King is awaiting a continuation of his bail hearing set to take place on Friday.