Trudeau defends Emergencies Act use as a measure of last resort

Feb 17, 2022 | 12:56 PM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says using the Emergencies Act is a measure of last resort to bring an end to the illegal and undemocratic blockades that have harmed Canadians for nearly three weeks now.

The House of Commons is debating the use of the Emergencies Act and will later vote on the government’s decision to invoke the law for the first time since it was introduced in 1988.

Trudeau says everyone is tired of COVID-19 and protests expressing displeasure with the government’s decisions on how to handle the pandemic are not a problem.

He says the extraordinary powers under the act are being used only because of the illegal blockade of Canadian streets and critical infrastructure funded in part by foreign entities.