The day after a weekend under high tension during which the police regained control of Ottawa, Justin Trudeau spoke about the situation in the Canadian capital.
Article written by
Posted
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said Monday, February 21, that the state of emergency was not “not done, even though lockdowns are lifted across the country and borders are open right now, even though things seem to be resolving very well in Ottawa”he said at a press conference.
The Prime Minister also defended his choice, strongly criticized by the opposition, to invoke an exceptional law, the law on emergency measures, a week ago to end the blockages “illegal” recent weeks in Canada, on which parliamentarians must vote on Monday evening. “Invoking the Emergency Measures Act was necessary”he said, adding that he had “real concerns for the days to come”.
Used for the second time in peacetime in Canada, this provision allows the federal government to use “extraordinary measures” in time of “national crisis”.
Canadian parliamentarians have been debating the use of this measure since Thursday in the House of Commons (lower house of Parliament), which was exceptionally suspended on Friday due to the vast police operation to free the streets of the center of the capital. The latter had been paralyzed since the end of January by truckers and demonstrators opposed to the health policy of Justin Trudeau’s government.
Expressing confidence in the fact that the motion on the law “will be adopted”he called on all MEPs “to take action against unlawful blockades and to defend public safety for the freedom of Canadians”.