Democracy and anarchy
Whoever had a better solution, stand up. Me, what I saw and heard was that there was no indication that it would end one day and, like the majority of Canadians, I was eager for the clear message to be sent that there is a difference between democracy and anarchy. Whether it was because of the incompetence of the mayor of Ottawa, its chief of police, Premier Doug Ford, its chief of police, or because of the complicity, complacency or fear of the actors who part of the solution, after two weeks, we had other priorities than throwing the ball and Justin Trudeau made the only right decision given the circumstances.
Pierre Lemelin
The majority supports Trudeau
It is clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we must wish and hope that there will be no more recourse to this law, but I hope that there are no other similar situations or comparable or worse than that experienced in Ottawa last winter. Moreover, more than 75% of Canadians who responded to the survey support the decision of the Trudeau government and I am part of it.
Claude Menard, Laval
Demonstrate with dignity
Canada wanted to save its reputation and that of overly liberal democracies. An excess of democracy where freedom of expression is such that it leads to nameless abuses encourages autarky to show up. Demonstrating is a perfectly legitimate right, but demonstrating without any form of dignity is highly reprehensible and does not serve any cause other than that of extremism.
Christian Castonguay
Beware of excess beacons
That the tags are clear solves nothing. If they are too numerous or too rigid, the day when we will need Emergency Measures Actpartisan political dithering could delay its implementation.
Jean Pierre Lalonde
The Highway Code was enough
I’m not a lawyer, but I have labor relations experience in public sector bargaining. From memories and listening to testimonies, it appears that the blocking of a road by demonstrators (for the vehicle component) is punishable by violation of the Highway Code, towing in the pound. No need for the Emergency Measures Act for this component if there is at least one functional police force in the lot. So how many heads are going to roll for not implementing their said plan? However, the right to demonstrate is protected by the Canadian Charter (Saskatchewan case). Therein lies the knot.
Benoit Laflamme, Old Lorette
The result speaks for itself
Was the use of this measure justified? I retain two points which tend to demonstrate that this decision was the right one. First, the result. This one is unequivocal. Second, compliance with the framework of powers granted by this act to police forces. Here again, everything went well. Finally, I hear a lot of arguments that begin with “if we had…”. The time was no longer for “if”, but for concrete actions. So action taken and case resolved without bloodshed.
Domina Cote
Doug Ford’s lack of leadership
Yes, the emergency measures were necessary: the only responsible is really the Ontario government and its police. The federal government has nothing to reproach itself for, the fault is above all the lack of leadership of Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario. The guidelines are clear for emergency measures, it would have been inconceivable to call in the army.
Luc Langlois
No choice
I believe the Prime Minister had no choice. The occupation would have lasted for months and the whole country was plunged into uncertainty. The law needs to be refreshed, certainly, but in the context, Justin Trudeau had no choice.
Denis LeChasseur
Extremist groups
It was absolutely necessary that these measures be put in place. It was through these demonstrators extremist groups who wanted to overthrow the government. And what about this chaos in the middle of the city. The arrogance of some protesters had no limits. What more could it take?
Jocelyne Plamondon, Quebec
Interim level
Faced with local incompetence and provincial inaction, what should the federal authority have done? It seems to me that we need an interim level between daily legal proceedings and emergency measures precisely for cases like the one last winter. As a result of rising polarization, demonstrations turned into sieges will no doubt multiply in the future. How to answer it?
Christophe Landarc
Imperfect but effective
We also need clear guidelines to deprive Canadian citizens of enjoying their freedom and their lives. Canada is a sovereign country and its representatives are elected to ensure the well-being of its citizens, not to encourage illegal dissidents. In an exceptional situation, an exceptional solution. The tool was imperfect, but it was effective. The duty to govern sometimes involves using the tools available. We cannot allow offenders of the country’s laws to escape because the responsible authorities cannot act or, worse, do not want to act. In this case, those who were responsible and who say they had the means to act first and second and third failed in the task through incompetence or based on unjustifiable calculations. The end of the time to watch the parade pass arrived and whoever was indebted as a last resort acted after a good moment of hesitation. As a good boxer, luckily he didn’t wait to be on the floor for the count before fighting back. Thank you, Prime Minister!
Ronald Fauvel
The Red line
The reasons for the government’s action are stated in this editorial and, under the circumstances, it was right to take this action. Too often we talk about good solutions after the fact. The behavior of the convoy brought us to the red line that this convoy was ready to cross that day and probably also in the future. Yes, the Prime Minister was right in his decision.
Gaetan Slater, Bromont