The Canadian Parliament voted Monday night to approve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s motion to invoke the Emergencies Act by a vote of 185 for and 151 against.
Trudeau invoked the Act, an unprecedented move, last week claiming it necessary to dispel peaceful protests linked to the Freedom Convoy movement, which is demanding an end to civil rights violations by the Trudeau government allegedly necessary to fight the Chinese coronavirus. At press time on Monday, no active Freedom Convoy protests exist anywhere in Canada.
The motion to uphold the invocation of emergency powers by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau passed in a vote in the Canadian House of Commons on Monday, with the Liberal Party and the NDP and other allies garnering 181 votes for the motion.
The motion was opposed by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois (BQ) and their allies, who voted against it with 151 votes, broadcaster CBC reports.
The passing of the measure in the House of Commons is the first step toward confirming the use of the act, which allows the government significant powers.
The Emergencies Act was invoked for the first time in Canadian history to halt Freedom Convoy protests across the country, which included blockades of border crossings in Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta, although all of the border blockades ended before the Emergencies Act was formally invoked last week.
Instead, the act was largely used to clear protests in Canada’s capital Ottawa over the weekend and was used to freeze the bank accounts of those linked to the protest. It was also used to force tow truck companies to remove trucks in Ottawa occupying the area around the parliament buildings after the government had trouble hiring tow truckers previously, as many allegedly refused.
Earlier in the day on Monday, Prime Minister Trudeau defended his continued use of the Emergencies Act, despite the fact all of the protests had been cleared or had ended prior to its invocation.
“This state of emergency is not over. There continue to be real concerns about the coming days,” Trudeau said and added, “People [are] out there indicating that they are ready to blockade, to continue their illegal occupations to disrupt Canadians’ lives. We feel that this measure needs to remain in place.”
“Invoking the Emergencies Act has been necessary. Law enforcement agencies relied on it to set up secured areas in downtown Ottawa and at border crossings. It prevented foreign money from continuing to fund illegal blockades, and it’s making sure our borders remain open. It has been the responsible thing to do,” he said.
The invocation of the Emergencies Act has been widely criticised by civil liberties groups, such as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA).
“The federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act. This law creates a high and clear standard for good reason: the Act allows the government to bypass ordinary democratic processes. This standard has not been met,” the CCLA said in a statement last week.
“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 CCLA noted.
The Alberta government, led by conservative Premier Jason Kenney, has also filed a court case against the use of the Emergencies Act. Kenney argued that the measures were “disproportionate” and “violated natural justice.”
In order for the act to be fully passed, it must also face a vote in the Canadian Senate, according to the text of the act. A debate in the Canadian Senate is expected to begin on Tuesday morning, the Toronto Star newspaper reports.