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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to trucker protests, calling the move a “last resort” as law enforcement in Ottawa have warned demonstrators of “imminent” action.
“Invoking the emergencies act is not something that we do lightly,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons Thursday, blocks from the protests. “It’s not the first option, or even the second or the third. It is a last resort.”
“We did it to protect families and small businesses, to protect jobs and the economy,” the embattled PM said. “We did it because the situation could not be dealt with under any other law in Canada.”
The Act, issued on Monday, gives the federal government broad power to restore order. It threatens to tow away vehicles to keep essential services running; freeze truckers’ personal and corporate bank accounts; and take further action to strike at their livelihoods.
Financial institutions have been told to stop business with those associated with the protests, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday, according to the CBC.
Some bank accounts have already been frozen, she said.
“The consequences are real and they will bite,” Ms. Freeland said in a final warning to demonstrators.
Freeland said the government feels “great sorrow” about these actions, but argued they were necessary to “defend our democracy” and to “restore peace and order.”
On Thursday, members of the “Freedom Convoy,” who have protested COVID-19 restrictions in Canada’s capital since late January, showed no signs of ending their blockade, despite police warnings that the demonstrators who refuse to leave will be forcefully removed.
“If you want to leave on your own terms, now is the time to do so,” Ottawa’s interim police chief Steve Bell told protesters on Thursday, calling action against demonstrators “imminent,” BBC reported.
Police have secured Ottawa’s city center – where nearly 400 vehicles remained on the street – and set up over 100 checkpoints surrounding the main site of the protests, Bell said. Only those with a “lawful” purpose will be permitted to enter the zone.
Bell gave no exact timeline for when he plans to clear out the demonstrators, but warned “This weekend will be very different from past weekends.”
Law enforcement handed out fliers to the protesters on Wednesday night that read, “The people of Ottawa are being denied the lawful use, enjoyment and operation of their property and you are causing businesses to close. That is mischief under the Criminal Code.”
Protesters convicted of unlawful activity may also risk “denial in crossing the USA border,” Ottawa police said.
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