Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid weeks of trucker protests against anti-COVID restrictions, introduces a state of emergency law for the first time. Emergency powers, including the right to cut off funding, will allow the protests to be stopped, Trudeau said at a press conference on Monday evening, February 14.
“Blockades damage our economy and pose a threat to public safety. We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous actions to continue,” the Canadian prime minister said, noting that emergency measures will be limited in time and will be applied only where necessary.
Fighting Protest Funding
Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that from now on, all crowdfunding programs and their financial donors must register with the Canadian anti-money laundering agency FINTRAC and report suspicious transactions. “We are taking these steps because we know that these platforms are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activities,” Freeland said.
The bank accounts of individuals suspected of financing the “Freedom Motorcade” may be temporarily frozen without a court order. Trucks involved in protest actions are no longer insured. Canadian authorities say nearly half of the funding for the Ottawa protests comes from US supporters.
“Freedom Motorcade”
The Emergency Act of 1988 allows the federal government of Canada to bypass the provinces and take temporary emergency measures to ensure safety in the event of a nationwide emergency. This law, in its former version, was applied only once in Canada during peacetime. In 1970, it was activated by the then Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, father of Justin Trudeau.
The action of truckers called “Motorcade for Freedom” in protest against anti-COVID restrictions and mandatory vaccination began on January 23 on the west coast of Canada in Vancouver. On the way to the country’s capital Ottawa, located 4,400 km to the east, more and more participants joined the convoy of trucks and vans.
Gradually, the action turned into a large-scale protest against the current measures in Canada to combat the pandemic and the policies of the Trudeau government in general. As part of the protests, the protesters also blocked the most important trade bridge between Canada and the United States. On February 13, Canadian police unblocked the bridge, but mass protests continue in downtown Ottawa.
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