Justin Trudeau summoned national emergency measures against protesting truckers in Canada to break up the protestors. The long protests have paralyzed Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, for 2 weeks and blocked border crossing.
The Canadian Prime Minister declared the blockades illegal and threatened to invoke emergency powers on Monday. He threatened to suppress the crippling protests by the truckers and their supporters who are protesting pandemic restrictions.
Justin Trudeau warned people who are still participating in the strike that he would not only forcibly remove the rigs but also seize bank accounts and disrupt their livelihood. He invoked the Emergencies Act, giving the federal administration of Canada greater powers to reestablish order.
Justin Trudeau though ruled the use of the military. He instead threatened that the administration would tow away the trucks and other vehicles to restore normal services. Normal supplies have been severely affected due to the ongoing strike.
Justin Trudeau further said that he would seize the corporate and personal bank accounts of the striking truckers and suspend insurance cover on their equipment.
Justin Trudeau’s Deputy Said That The Truckers Should Consider Themselves Warned
Justin Trudeau’s deputy, Chrystia Freeland, stated that the truckers should consider themselves warned and ordered them to send their rigs home. The finance minister threatened that the government would go in for broader anti-money-laundering rules that would go after crowdfunding websites. She said that these sites are illegally being used to back the truckers and were breaking financial laws.
Justin Trudeau gave no time frame for the crackdown but assured that the measures to restore normalcy would be for a limited time and would be proportionate and reasonable to the perceived threats.
Protestors who at times numbered in their thousands jammed the streets of the capital city and the border crossing with the US. They have also besieged Parliament, railed against the vaccine mandate, and pandemic precautions. The protestors, mostly extreme right-wing supporters, have also condemned the liberal administration of Justin Trudeau.
The move would lead to the involvement of the federal police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Protesting truckers have vowed to hold the line. Justin Trudeau took the extreme step after consulting provincial leaders.
