The Federal Court of Canada ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's imposition of martial law in 2022 to quell peaceful trucker protests was “unjustified.” Justice Richard Mosley added: “The decision to issue the declaration was unreasonable and amounted to a violation of Charter rights.”
A poll last month found that a super majority of Canadians already
wanted Prime Minister Trudeau to resign, he is now facing further pressure to resign. But his aide recently grinned as a reporter was bashed and arrested by police for asking questions, but the Liberal government continued to defend its actions and suggested it would appeal. did. ruling.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his Socialist Party
qualify retroactively They supported invoking the emergency law and suggested they had defended it “reluctantly”.
What is your background?
The truck driver protests, dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” by organizers, began in early 2022 in response to the Canadian government's strict COVID-19 vaccination mandates and travel restrictions, requiring people to leave their homes for work. It had a huge impact on people's lives.
a
A large convoy of trucks decorated with Canadian flags The vehicles traveled across the country, cheered by large crowds at various stops along the way, before finally arriving in the capital, Ottawa.
In Ottawa, thousands of people gathered outside parliament to call on the Liberal government to scrap parts of pandemic protocols.One of the authors of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms agreed.
said it was unconstitutional.
The protests took on the following atmosphere:
winter festivala bounce castle, sauna, musical performances, dancing and speeches. the crime was undone During this so-called occupation, demonstrators regularly shoveled snow from sidewalks in Canada's capital.
However, not everyone was enthusiastic about the protests. Wealthy residents of the government city claimed to have been traumatized by seeing the Canadian flag and hearing the sound of horns.
according to Go to CTV News.
Prime Minister Trudeau has not intervened in previous political protests (such as those by BLM and Idle No More activists), and he did so in 2020 when anti-pipeline activists blocked Canadian rail lines. did not take similar action, but
paralyzed In this country, the truckers' peaceful protests clearly were intolerable to him.
martial law
Prime Minister Trudeau, with cabinet approval and support from Singh's New Democratic Party, invoked the state of emergency legislation from February 17 to 23, 2023. At the time of the declaration, there were still about 500 trucks left in Ottawa.
“These illegal blockades are harming Canadians and must stop,” Trudeau said.
of
emergency law This is a revised version of Canada's old War Measures Act, which can be invoked in “national emergencies posing a grave threat.”[n] the ability of the Government of Canada to maintain Canada's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; ”
police
seized fuel Man arrested after towing 115 trucks from truck driver in sub-zero conditions hundreds of protesters. The Liberal government also discussed deploying German Leopard tanks against demonstrators. 257 bank accounts frozen; and thoroughly cracked down on public criticism of government excesses.
Prime Minister Trudeau was criticized for
member of the conservative party and civil rights organizationseven from foreign dignitaries.
Ann
Ministry of Public Security internal report It later emerged that there was no evidence of violence by Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa. “The majority of events were peaceful.” “The disruption to government activities is minimal so far.''
At the end of 2022, Prime Minister Trudeau will
Said of Security Emergency Committee What made the Freedom Convoy unusual was that the protesters expressed a “level of dissatisfaction” that was “very disturbing”.
“Unfair”
sided with civil liberties groups on Tuesday
rulingJudge Mosley said that while the Freedom Convoy protests had an economic impact, they did not threaten national security and did not merit martial law.
“My decision to issue this declaration is that [of the Emergencies Act] It did not have the hallmarks of rationality, such as legitimacy, transparency, and intelligibility, and was not justified,” Mosley wrote.
The court also found that the Trudeau government had not exhausted other, less extreme legal options available to address the perceived threat.
“By their nature and the broad powers they confer on the federal executive, emergency laws are a last resort,” Mosley wrote. “The GIC cannot invoke emergency law because it is convenient or because it may work better than other tools at its disposal or available to localities.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, one of the groups that opposed the Liberal government, said:
statement“Emergencies are not in the eye of the beholder. Emergency powers are necessary in extreme circumstances, but they are also dangerous to democracy. They should be used with care and discretion.”
“Even if normal police and laws could be used to deal with them, they cannot even be used to deal with large and destructive demonstrations,” CCLA continued. “The federal court agreed that this standard was not met.”
Joanna Barron, executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, also objected to the use of the law, saying:
Said“The invocation of the Emergency Act is one of the worst examples of government overreach during a pandemic, and Mr Justice Mosley believes that Charter rights have been violated and that the Cabinet must follow the law and use the Act only as a tool. I'm very glad to have realized that it shouldn't be a last resort. ”
Liberals remain unrepentant despite calls for resignation
While Prime Minister Trudeau is in
Dodged questions from reporters after the verdictDeputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland indicated the Liberal government was unrepentant and intended to appeal the ruling. report National Post.
“The public safety of Canadians was at stake, and so was our national security, including our national economic security,” Freeland said. “At that moment I knew it was the right thing to do. It was the thing to do.”
True North's Cosmin Zurza
intimate The appeal may be well received, given that two-thirds of the 15 federal appeals court judges were Liberal Party appointees.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre – Poised to defeat Prime Minister Trudeau in the next election if the Liberals do not resign –
Said “Prime Minister Trudeau has broken the highest law of the land, the Emergencies Act. He has created a crisis by dividing our people. He has violated our Charter rights and unlawfully oppressed our people.”
Former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer
I felt stressed “Prime Minister Trudeau must now answer for his reckless abandonment of the law and the most fundamental freedoms of all Canadians.”
Scheer
Said Another message read: “I will never let Prime Minister Trudeau lecture me on Charter Rights ever again.”
Maxime Bernier, leader of the People's Party of Canada, said:
repeated Liberal government claims to be a “tyrannical government'' to add In a subsequent tweet, he said the Liberal government's decision was “absolutely horrific, violent, abusive and unnecessary.”
Ezra Levant, publisher of Rebel News, said:
was suggested “In a healthy democracy, he would resign.”
Jay Bhattacharyya, professor of medicine at Stanford University and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, said:
I have written“Given the Federal Court's decision that the Government of Canada violated people's fundamental civil rights by invoking the Emergency Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign and hold a new election.”
Dr. Jordan Peterson
I have written“If a government violates its own constitution in any way, is it still a government? A very serious question @JustinTrudeau[.] Looks like it's time to leave, Jack. ”
Prime Minister Trudeau's disapproval rating is currently 64%.
according to To the Angus Reid Institute.Ipsos poll conducted last month shown 69% of Canadians say Prime Minister Trudeau should resign.
Prime Minister Trudeau appears to be in hiding as he has no public events.
It is scheduled for wednesday.
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