On Feb. 14 the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to deal with the protests in Ottawa and elsewhere that began over the vaccine mandates for crossing the Canadian border but soon developed a broader focus. The use of this act received broad criticism from the opposition Conservative party and the Block Quebecois but gained reluctant support from the NDP.
The vote to enact the law passed the House of Commons on Feb. 21, and was being debated in the Senate when the Prime Minister announced that the use of the Emergencies Act was being ended.
Mr. Trudeau said "The situation is no longer an emergency. We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe."
While most are relieved that the use of these measures has ended, it is clear that the situation is not settled. Lawsuits and inquiries into these policies will continue for some time and the precedents set here will remain.
The Empire-Advance received the following letter from a former Member of Parliament before the act was revoked.
Dear Editor:
The emergency act was written to replace the war measures act in 1998. I was in parliament at the time. This draconian legislation was written to deal with terrorist attackers on Canada. It has far reaching powers. Democracy ceased to exist once this act is invoked. All civil liberties end. No Charter of Rights exist. Only three or four MPs voted against it at third reading, I being one of them.
I believe that in a free society, no government can unilaterally govern without any accountability. We don’t want Canada to become a banana republic or a police state. Our freedom has been paid for in blood over many wars. That’s why every community in Canada has a cenotaph or war memorial dedicated to those who never returned.
Under the emergency act, all freedoms cease to exist, such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of worship, freedom to protest, and freedom of mobility. Police powers will have no limits. You can be arrested without cause, without warrants, thrown in jail, for indefinite time, and have no access to lawyers. The government can build a case against you in secret, without providing their evidence against you to your lawyers. There have been a few cases where the accused has lingered in jail for years without any court action.
Justin Trudeau by invoking the emergency act has officially become the first dictator of Canada. This has more to do with Trudeau’s ego than the truckers’ convoy. He could have resolved this conflict by meeting with the truckers which he refused. He had no problem meeting with the indigenous protesters, terrorists, and BLM protesters. He ignored all those church burnings and railroad blockades.
Without doubt, invoking the emergency act was unnecessary. All the southern premieres except BC publicly opposed this action. All the border blockades were resolved through negotiations with the RCMP without violence. At Coutts, Alta. protesters and the RCMP concluded with handshakes and hugs. There was no insurrection displayed across Canada.
Justin Trudeau invoked the emergency act to satisfy his ego. His thirst for power has awakened all Canadians. Their democracy is at stake. Not in a thousand years could anyone predict that Canada one day on Feb. 14th, 2022 would become a dictatorship.
In my opinion the only option is that we must fire the Trudeau cult. The next government must have a public inquiry into all the wasteful spending by Trudeau. If you want your democracy back, Canadians must stand up and stand on guard for thee.
Sincerely, Inky Mark, former MP
