Canadian PM Trudeau Vows To Freeze Protesters' Bank Accounts: Here's What's Happening In Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to crack down on anti-vaccine mandate protests.

Trudeau and several of his Cabinet ministers said the move would allow the government to take a variety of steps, including freezing bank accounts of protesters, to clear the blockade of about 400 trucks in Ottawa and smaller protests that have closed border points in Alberta and Manitoba.

Trudeau said the scope of the measures would be "time-limited", "reasonable and proportionate" and would not see the military deployed. With no need for a court order, banks will be able freeze personal accounts of anyone linked with the protests. Hundreds of demonstrators remain in Canada's capital city.

AFP

¡°We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue,¡± the prime minister said in a speech to the nation, pointing to ¡°serious challenges to law enforcement¡¯s ability to effectively enforce the law.¡±

What does invoking emergency powers mean?

The invocation of the Emergencies Act confers enormous, if temporary, power on the federal government.

It allows authorities to move aggressively to restore public order, including banning public assembly and restricting travel to and from specific areas. But Trudeau and members of his Cabinet offered repeated assurance that the act would not be used to suspend ¡°fundamental rights.¡±

Christine Pitawanich/KGW

It has been half a century since emergency powers were last invoked in Canada. Trudeau¡¯s father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, imposed them during a terrorism crisis in Quebec. Monday was the first time that the 1988 Emergencies Act has been used.

Why are truckers protesting?

Truckers, who are considered as essential workers given the huge bilateral trade between Canada and the US, were initially exempted from vaccination.

The Canadian government, on 15 January, then imposed a mandate requiring truckers to provide proof of vaccination before entering Canada from the United States. Failing to do so would require them to quarantine for 14 days.

protest in canada

Following which, the 'Freedom Convoy', which had begun as a truckers protest against the vaccine mandate, quickly blew up into a massive anti-vaccination protest against the government and its overall COVID response.

How has the situation been in Canada?

The situation has been tense in the last few weeks in Ottawa as the protests have now become very loud and disruptive for the local communities. Business are being shut down due to the blocked streets and the continuous honking.

Reuters

Protesters have said they won¡¯t leave until all mandates and Covid-19 restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau¡¯s government, though it is responsible for a few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments.

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