Trudeau does the unprecedented, invokes Emergencies Act
The decision comes after Ambassador Bridge, a key border crossing between US and Canada, was reopened by Canadian law enforcements for traffic on Sunday night after being closed for a week by protesters. But demonstrations have entered their third week in Ottawa.
Emergencies Act: What powers does it hold?
Passed in 1988, the Emergencies Act grants government extraordinary powers at the times of national crisis. But its invoking requires a condition – it can be invoked at an “urgent and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians”. Furthermore, the act can be invoked by government only if the situation cannot be handled by any other existing federal law.
Four different types of emergencies are included under the act – public welfare emergencies, public order emergencies, international emergencies and war emergencies. The current crisis comes under “public order emergencies”. But there is one catch – lawful protests do not qualify to be under the act.
Now, according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, there are four possible scenarios that can be considered a threat to national security, for invoking of the act. These are –
Current situation does not fall into any of the above scenarios. This can be a problem for Trudeau – how will he justify invoking the Emergencies Act when the protests are well under the law, and not falling into any above-mentioned categories to pose as a national threat. In fact, prohibiting lawful protests and invoking this act to handle the situation can be considered a blow to basic rights of people of Canada.
Canadian Civil Liberties Association has warned that the move “threatens our democracy and our civil liberties”.
Essentially, is even any part of Syria safe for deportation? The question has come up for an intense debate after…
It's official! Prominent k-pop group BLACKPINK's Lisa is the latest addition to the line-up for the 2024 Global Citizen Festival.…
Loans to pay, putting children into college, and house mortgage – many people take up a second job alongside their…
In a remarkable move, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently announced that Spain and Palestine are ready to hold their…
Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics. But her former boyfriend targeted her after…
The 25-year-old young and techie entrepreneur Kritarth Mittal is the founder of the app named “Soshals app” which is a…
This website uses cookies.
Read More