Canadian civil rights group sues government after Justin Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act

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OTTAWA, ONTARIO — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association announced Thursday that it is suing the federal government after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked a controversial measure that gives his government sweeping new powers to shut down massive protests that have brought the country’s capital to a standstill for weeks.

Ottawa is the last anti-vaccine mandate stronghold in Canada. The demonstrations, which were started by a group of truckers upset with COVID-19-related restrictions, quickly morphed into wide-scale dissatisfaction with all government mandates. The protests, which have been attended by thousands for 21 days and counting, created a crisis of confidence with law enforcement officials who residents accused of not doing enough to rein in the truckers and their supporters.

The demonstrations have also become a political nightmare for Trudeau, who mocked protesters, downplayed their concerns, and refused to meet with them. On Monday, he invoked the never-before used Emergencies Act that gives the government the power to prohibit public assembly as well as arrest residents and freeze their assets.

He was heavily criticized almost immediately, not only by his political rivals but also from within his party.

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Trudeau has argued that the demonstrations constitute a threat to Canada’s economy and the safety of its residents.

“The blockades and occupations are illegal,” he reiterated Thursday.

Justin Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario.

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, CCLA’s executive director, took Trudeau to task, claiming that “the government has brought in an extreme measure that should be reserved for national emergencies, a legal standard that has not been met. Emergency powers cannot and must not be normalized.”

“We are taking the government of Canada to court,” she said during a televised news conference. “The government’s emergency declaration is unprecedented and seriously infringes the Charter rights of Canadians.”

Mendelsohn Aviv said the CCLA strongly supports the right to peaceful assembly, calling it a “critical democratic tool.”

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A family, draped in the Canadian flag, attends the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.

“This is how marginalized people can stand up for their rights,” she said. “Protest is how people in a democracy express and share their political messages of all kinds — whether they be environmental activists, students on the streets, indigenous land defenders, workers on strike, people who know Black Lives Matter, and others who oppose government measures of all kinds.”

She acknowledged reports of “violent, racist, and homophobic acts” in Ottawa but added that even though not all Canadians agreed with the protests, the right to assemble outweighed other concerns.

“Not every person may agree with the content of every movement,” Mendelsohn Aviv said.

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Separately, Amnesty International also expressed concern over Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act, saying it “raises concerns and questions relating to the respect of human rights.”

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