The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has spoken out against Justin Trudeau's unprecedented use of emergency powers to target truckers and their supporters who are protesting in the name of freedom across Canada.
The association released a statement via Twitter that read:
"The federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act. This law creates a high and clear standard for good reason: the Act allows government to bypass ordinary democratic processes. This standard has not been met.
Governments regularly deal with difficult situations, and do so using powers granted to them by democratically elected representatives. Emergency legislation should not be normalized. It threatens our democracy and our civil liberties. #cdnpoli
— Canadian Civil Liberties Association (@cancivlib) February 15, 2022
"The Emergencies Act can only be invoked when a situation 'seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada' & when the situation 'cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada.'
"Governments regularly deal with difficult situations, and do so using powers granted to them by democratically elected representatives. Emergency legislation should not be normalized. It threatens our democracy and our civil liberties. #cdnpoli"
On Monday evening, prominent Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre lashed out at Trudeau, urging him to end Covid restrictions and stop punishing and smearing hard-working Canadians who simply want their freedom.
Pierre Poilievre rips into Justin Trudeau over his handling of the ongoing freedom protests. pic.twitter.com/qQpk6soD0u
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 15, 2022