Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked the rarely-used Emergencies Act to suppress the ongoing protest by truckers against Covid-19 restrictions in the country.

The Emergency Act gives the government temporary powers to impose special restrictions on public assembly and travel within the country, according to Reuters. It was last used during both the World Wars and in 1970 during a separatist movement.

In a media briefing, Trudeau said that the blockades by the protestors were harming the economy and endangering public safety. “We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Police surround pickup trucks as they clear protestors against Covid-19 vaccine mandates who blocked the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on February 13, 2022. | Jeff Kowalsky/AFP

For over two weeks, truckers across Canada have been protesting against the public Covid-19 measures brought by Trudeau’s government.

Advertisement

The protest had initially started in Ottawa against the government’s mandate requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to cross the border between Canada and the United States.

The “Freedom Convoy” protest has garnered support from former US President Donald Trump and other members of the Republican party. Similar protests against vaccine mandates have also emerged in Israel, France, Australia and New Zealand.

Demonstrators wave flags during a protest by truck drivers over Covid-19 mandates, outside the parliament of Canada in Ottawa on February 12, 2022. | Ed Jones/AFP

Ahead of the announcement of the Emergency Act, the Canadian prime minister held a virtual meeting with leaders of the country’s provinces, The Associated Press reported.

Advertisement

Doug Ford, the Conservative premier of Ontario, said that the country was at risk. “We need law and order,” he said.

However, some other leaders cautioned Trudeau saying that the move could “inflame an already dangerous situation.”

“At this point, it would not help the social climate,” The Associated Press quoted Quebec Premier François Legault as saying. “There is a lot of pressure. I think we have to be careful.”

On February 1, Trudeau had said that Canadians were shocked and disgusted by the behaviour of the protestors.

“We’re not intimidated by those who hurl abuse at small business workers and steal food from the homeless,” Trudeau had said in a tweet. “We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. There is no place in Canada for this behaviour.”