Emergency order allows Trudeau to put restrictions on Freedom Convoy demonstration, but allows minorities the right to protest.
QUICK FACTS:
- Protests can be banned in “certain areas” for “most people” under the Emergencies Act, according to The Toronto Sun.
- According to Section 2(1) of the regulation, “a person must not participate in a public assembly that may reasonably be expected to lead to a breach of the peace.”
- However, exceptions to the rule are made just a few paragraphs down where the select groups are named for protection.
- “Subsection (1) does not apply to (a) a person registered as an Indian under the Indian Act; (b) a person who has been recognized as a Convention refugee,” the regulations state.
PUSHBACK FROM CANADIANS:
- People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier has spoken out against the policy, questioning why this is part of the Emergencies Act regulation.
- The Canadian Constitutional Foundation announced on Thursday that they were filing a legal challenge to the federal Emergencies Act.
- “Prime Minister Trudeau has set a dangerous precedent by invoking the never before used federal Emergencies Act to address the current situation,” the CCF stated.
- The group asserted that “The Emergencies Act was enacted to replace the discredited War Measures Act … to ensure the federal government cannot abuse emergency powers ever again.”
BACKGROUND:
- The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimated that the convoy has upwards of 50,000 trucks participating as of early February, according to LifeSite News.
- Reports began on Friday that Canadian authorities have begun to arrest protesters, including two of the organizers, according to UPI News.
