The embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken an enormous gamble to remove the truckers’ protests, and his legacy is on the line.
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just taken the biggest risk of his political life. He’s gone all in, deciding to invoke the Emergencies Act — the first such use in Canada’s history — to put an end to the paralyzing truckers’ convoy. It’s a big bet for a third-term prime minister already facing criticism for politicizing the pandemic.
Invoking the Emergencies Act is a measure of last resort. It gives the federal government enormous powers to quell the disturbances, shut down crowdfunding and freeze the bank accounts of anyone assessed to be aiding the demonstrators.
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said Trudeau’s decision to invoke the act — for the first time in Canada’s history — is evidence of a failure of leadership.
He made clear his conviction that the protests were no longer “non-violent,” but also assured listeners that his government didn’t intend to use military force to put an end to the “Freedom Convoy” occupation that is now entering its third week on Parliament Hill and encampments around the city.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/14/canada-emergency-measures-political-firestorm-00008896