On Wednesday, February 23, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government would lift the Emergencies Act as the situation has lessened.
The Emergencies Act has been in place for 10 days and has had far-reaching powers. PM Trudeau says he is “confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe.”
Justin Trudeau discussing his use of the unprecedented Emergencies Act:
“We know that there will continue to be threats to Canada, to our democracy, to democracies around the world, and we cannot shy away from using tools that are necessary to maintain the safety and security of citizens and that’s exactly what we did in a responsible and proportionate way.”
Minister Freeland announced that the “unfreezing” of bank accounts has already begun.
Minister Freeland said that the act of freezing bank accounts was to convince people to stop engaging in the protest. However, some bank accounts will remain frozen given legal proceedings or court orders.
Earlier today, Senator Pierre Dalphond, a Trudeau appointee and former judge, said he would be voting against the Emergencies Act because he believes it violates section 8 of the Charter, “the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.”
Ontario is also set to remove its own ‘State of Emergency’ at 5 pm.
More details to come.
