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Several Canadian civil liberties groups are speaking out against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he invoked the Emergencies Act to cut off funding for "Freedom Convoy" truckers who are protesting trade routes.
While some groups have approved of the measure, which cuts off funding from the protesters, calling it "responsible" and "a good strategy," others have condemned the action and described it as a slippery slope into government overreach, Reuters reported.
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference on March 7, 2019, in Ottawa, Canada. (Dave Chan/Getty Images)
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The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the truckers’ protests did not meet the standard for Trudeau to have invoked the Emergencies Act, which exists for "the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada" and only for actions that "cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada."
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau comments on the ongoing truckers' mandate protest during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on Feb. 14, 2022. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The act used in a precarious manner "should not be normalized," the Canadian Civil Liberties Association added.
"We recognize the gravity of the federal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act. Having called on the federal government to show national leadership, we welcome this as a step toward ending illegal blockades across the country and upholding the rule of law," the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said.
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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 government to bypass ordinary democratic processes. This standard has not been met. 1/3
— Canadian Civil Liberties Association (@cancivlib) February 15, 2022
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. #cdnpoli
— Canadian Civil Liberties Association (@cancivlib) February 15, 2022
Lori Williams, a politics professor at Mount Royal University, Calgary, said the use of such an act to stem protests "could create more problems," Reuters reported.
"There's the danger this could create more problems, that's why this has to be done with the cooperation of premiers and if they don't want help, then the federal government needs to hang back. It has to be very targeted, very strategic and very restrained, because these are enormous powers that are being implemented," she said, according to the report.
Protesters continue their protest against the coronavirus vaccine mandates in the country, in Ottawa, Canada, on Feb. 13, 2022. (Amru Salahuddien/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Some other civil liberties experts are concerned Trudeau’s decision could motivate additional protests or civil unrest.
The protests started two weeks ago when the Canadian government announced it would require Canadian truckers, or U.S. drivers who cross into Canada, to show proof of vaccination.