Emergencies Act

[bucket]

I think invoking the emergency measures act requires vote. NDP have said they will dance with the liberals.

Seems odd that the NDP has turned into elitists.

[jazz]

I think invoking the emergency measures act requires vote. NDP have said they will dance with the liberals.

Seems odd that the NDP has turned into elitists.

Doesn't require vote, requires consult with the provinces and thats it. But the provinces need to be involved to direct the measures. Lets see who stands up today.

Can already count out Ford, he is done like dinner anyway.

[Jordy2323]

[shtferbrains]

Seems odd to evoke Emergency Measures on something you have made no attempt to negotiate.

When his Daddy did it they were dropping bombs in mailboxes and kidnapping high ranking people and executing them.
Some significant differences.

[TOM4CWB]

Commies gonna commie

Trudeau plans to invoke Emergencies Act in response to protests: sources
Mon, February 14, 2022, 5:54 AM
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a meeting with the premiers this morning, as well as holding a caucus meeting. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told his caucus he will invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act to give the federal government extra powers to handle anti-vaccine mandate protests across the country, sources say.

Those sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said the prime minister informed the premiers of his decision this morning.

The Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in the 1980s, defines a national emergency as a temporary "urgent and critical situation" that "seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it."

It gives special powers to the prime minister to respond to emergency scenarios affecting public welfare (natural disasters, disease outbreaks), public order (civil unrest), international emergencies or war emergencies.

The act grants cabinet the ability to "take special temporary measures that may not be appropriate in normal times" to cope with an "urgent and critical situation" and the resulting fallout. It is still subject to the protections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

WATCH | Use of Emergencies Act 'proof of failure of leadership,' says NDP leader

Ottawa police have said they are outnumbered by crowds protesting vaccine mandates in the capital. Despite a provincial state of emergency, protesters ignored the threat of arrest and jail time and flocked to the city's centre over the weekend.

Demonstrators have erected tents, a stage, a large video screen and even a hot tub on various streets — including Wellington Street, which runs in front of the Parliament Buildings and the Prime Minister's Office.

Ottawa police said "safety concerns" — including "aggressive, illegal behaviour" by demonstrators — are to blame for the "limited police enforcement capabilities."

A blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., a key supply link between Canada and the U.S., was dispersed by police earlier Sunday, with 12 arrests.

Once cabinet declares an emergency, it takes effect right away — but the government still needs to go to Parliament within seven days to get approval. If either the Commons or the Senate votes against the motion, the emergency declaration is revoked.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday that while he sees the prime minister's decision to turn to the Emergencies Act as "proof of a failure of leadership," he will support the declaration — which should secure its passage through a minority Parliament.

"The reason why we got to this point is because the prime minister let the siege in Ottawa go on for weeks and weeks without actually doing anything about it, allowed the convoy to shut down borders without responding appropriately," he said.

Legal threshold questioned

Jack Lindsay, an associate professor in the applied disaster and emergency studies department at Brandon University in Manitoba, said one of the first steps in invoking the Emergencies Act is the government showing that a state of emergency exists.

"They're gonna have to basically prove that first hurdle, that it is a national emergency," he said.

"He's basically going to be arguing that these truckers are basically creating a threat to the security of Canada."

Leah West, an assistant professor in international studies at Carleton University who has published a book on national security law, questions whether that threshold has been met.

"To invoke a national emergency, the government would need to be saying that these protests threaten the security of Canada, our sovereignty or our territorial integrity," she said.

"I have real concerns about fudging the legal thresholds to invoke the most powerful federal law that we have."

Errol Mendes, a professor of constitutional and international law at the University of Ottawa, sees it differently.

"If you look at what's happened not just in Ottawa but at the Ambassador Bridge and Coutts, Alta. and in B.C., essentially we have a national emergency," he told CBC News Network.

"You have this small group basically asking the government to do whatever they want. That's the national security problem."

Limits on public assembly and travel possible

Under the act, the government is prohibited from taking direct control of police forces, said Lindsay.

"They do have the grounds to regulate and prohibit public assembly and travel and then regulate or prohibit the use of specific properties," he said.

"I suppose they could put out regulations about where semi-trailers are allowed to park overnight, for example. They can designate protected places, like the Ambassador Bridge or something."

The government also can order or direct any person to render services with compensation, said Lindsay. That power could in theory be used to tow trucks blocking streets downtown.

In a meeting with the Liberal caucus on Monday morning, Trudeau said there were no plans to deploy the military, according to the sources.

Speaking before his call with Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford gave his initial approval.

"I support the federal government and any proposal they have to bring law and order back to our province, to make sure we stabilize our business and trade around the world," he told a news conference.

Invoking the act also triggers an inquiry at the end of the declaration.

The move follows a meeting Sunday of the federal cabinet and its Incident Response Group, a group of key ministers convened to deal with national crises. Trudeau tweeted late Sunday that the IRG discussed "further actions the government can take to help end the blockades and occupations."

Earlier that day, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair described the attitude in government to invoking the Emergencies Act as "appropriate caution."

The War Measures Act was most famously used in peacetime by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau during the October Crisis."

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/trudeau-talking-premiers-holding-rare-125405378.html

[TOM4CWB]

The move follows a meeting Sunday of the federal cabinet and its Incident Response Group, a group of key ministers convened to deal with national crises. Trudeau tweeted late Sunday that the IRG discussed "further actions the government can take to help end the blockades and occupations."

Earlier that day, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair described the attitude in government to invoking the Emergencies Act as "appropriate caution."

The War Measures Act was most famously used in peacetime by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau during the October Crisis."

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/trudeau-talking-premiers-holding-rare-125405378.html

Apparently President Biden told PM Trudeau... to do this on Friday,

Folks...we are no longer a sovereign country.

[agstar77]

We are not sovereign if we let a bunch of right wing wingnuts try to impose their will on the majority through illegal protests.

[blackpowder]

We are not sovereign if we let a bunch of right wing wingnuts try to impose their will on the majority through illegal protests.

We need to be careful with adjectives which lead to identity style differentiation. Wing nuts is fine, but adding right wing could imply that left wing wing nuts or first nation wing nuts okay or need their own label.
Don't be part of the problem.
Or maybe left wing wing nuts much better and perfectly all right?
Do all wing nuts need to be further defined? Who is qualified to write that definition?
Over used poorly misunderstood labels.

[shtferbrains]

We are not sovereign if we let a bunch of right wing wingnuts try to impose their will on the majority through illegal protests.

So do you anticipate this will be the end of infrastructure blockades by wingnuts of any discription?
Border crossings, Railways, pipelines, Refinerys, etc?

[agstar77]

Sorry I don't know for sure whether those protesters are right or left of centre.

[agstar77]

So do you anticipate this will be the end of infrastructure blockades by wingnuts of any discription?
Border crossings, Railways, pipelines, Refinerys, etc?

If they arrest the ones with guns it should end.

[LEP]

This is essentially the nuclear option for dealing with the protestors. There are many steps that can and should be taken before this.

This is what a lack of experienced leadership gets you. It also definitely shows the entire government's arrogance in dealing with this situation.

It scares me to think of what might happen if we had a real crisis, such as Russia invading Ukraine. Luckily in that situation they just do what they are told.

[jazz]

Looks like little hitler has some opposition, some even in his own backyard.



CPC motion to lift mandates fails. Idiot boy Singh was bought off to vote against it. Bloc and greens supported.

[therealnorthernf]

If they arrest the ones with guns it should end.

I'd like know the number of and what weapons were found.. the RCMP love to show off all of their spoils after arrests... I haven't heard or saw anything on the news...

a pen knife, a tire iron, ????

[AlbertaFarmer5]

If they arrest the ones with guns it should end.

Perhaps they just did. Has it occurred to you that the organizers really do understand the power they have if they keep this a peaceful protest?
Have you seen the videos of the arrests last night? All of the protesters standing around peacefully still eating their supper mingling with the police, in the middle of all of the supposed excitement. Almost as if they are quite content to be labeled as peaceful protesters.
In fact, if I were in charge, I would offer the police a chance to search every single vehicle. Use use this as an opportunity to purge any troublemakers out of the movement. Completely diffuse the media, deny them any chance to label the entire movement as armed insurrectionists. And remove any justification for armed conflict or the emergency act.