Thursday, March 28, 2024
NewsOpinion/Column

Trudeau threatens to declare an emergency to save his political career

By Lindsay Prescott

Prime Minister Trudeau is telling his caucus members that he will invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian History to deal with the Freedom Convoy when there clearly is no emergency.

The only thing in danger is Trudeau’s political career as public opinion polls show that only 16% of Canadians would vote for him if an election was held today.

The last time something like this was used in Canada, when it was called the War Measures Act, was by Pierre Trudeau after Quebec separatists kidnapped and killed a Quebec Cabinet Minister 52 years ago in 1970.

No one has been kidnapped or killed. In fact there has been no violence of any kind associated with the Freedom Convoy anywhere in Canada.

The emergencies Act says it should be used if there is an “urgent and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it.”

This is not the case.

Border crossings in Windsor and Sarnia have been cleared of protestors and traffic in moving once again between Canada and the United States on two of the busiest border crossings in the Country.

In Ottawa the Mayor has negotiated with protestors to confine their protest to Wellington Street opposite the Parliament buildings where peaceful demonstrations have been going on for three weeks.

Local Ottawa residents have been joining these protests that has included dancing an singing by families including children

This is not an emergency. It is Canadians asking to get their freedoms back in a peaceful manner.

Once again this is an abuse of power by Trudeau. This time to save his political skin.