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By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: Invoking Emergencies Act isn’t the same as War Measures of 1970

Feb 16, 2022 | 4:38 AM

‘JUST WATCH ME.’

Those words from then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, spoken in 1970, are being recalled by many today. They were Trudeau’s response to a reporter who asked him how far he would go with suspending liberties to maintain order during the October Crisis caused by the FLQ.

A few days later, he implemented the War Measures Act. His son Justin has now invoked the modern-day version of that act, the Emergencies Act. It will give the federal government more powers to deal with the trucker protests that have threatened the economy and continue to seriously hinder life around Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Trudeau the younger can now take steps to remove the blockades and strike at the finances of the truckers, which might prove to be a more effective tool than trying to surround them with police.

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But isn’t this just another threat to our freedoms, validating the fears of the truckers?

There are important differences between October 1970 and February 2022. For one thing, there have been no kidnappings, bombs or blackmail associated with the convoys.

But there are no soldiers with guns running around, either, and no suspension of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The new powers will be applied surgically rather than nation-wide.

Pierre Trudeau would have called those who object to such measures “bleeding hearts.”

“Go on and bleed,” he said, “but it’s more important to keep law and order in this society than to be worried about weak-kneed people who don’t like the looks of a soldier’s helmet.”

Few Canadians would endorse that kind of language today, nor do they want soldiers in the streets again but I suggest that the vast majority of Canadians are in favour of strong measures to end the situation and, therefore, support using the Emergencies Act.

The only complaint they might have is that Justin Trudeau lacks the decisiveness of his father in getting it done.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.