According to media reports, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just invoked the current emergency legislation (Emergencies Act (justice.gc.ca) to deal with the continued trucker blockade in Ottawa and, presumably, other illegal protests across the country, particularly at border crossings. Unlike the earlier crisis, there has not been any kidnapping or loss of life, but in other ways the current crisis is equally troubling in revealing how ill-prepared Canada is to defend itself against an insurrection.
It is also all too evident that the original protest has been hijacked by various radicals who aren’t the least bit concerned about Canada’s economy or any other valid issue. Their presence has been revealed through such obscenities as the swastika and the mistreatment of the statue of Terry Fox and the National War Memorial. Perhaps most outrageous of all are the protestors who insist that they will not leave until the duly elected government has been removed. Think about that for a moment, if you would usually take the position that people should have the right to gather and to express their concerns on issues of the day. The sad reality is that a mob in Ottawa insists that our government must step down or they won’t leave.
Compounding the problem has been the lack of any strong and coordinated response by the proper authorities – with the Ottawa Police appearing particularly ineffective. Not a moment too soon the federal government has now invoked the emergency legislation that authorizes the government to (among other things) “regulate or prohibit public assembly that may reasonably be expected to lead to a breach of the peace, travel, or the use of property. As I drafted this blog, there were media reports of arrests at a border protest in Alberta where people had a large collection of guns and ammo and were willing “to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.” There can be no doubt that we need a concerted and coordinated effort by the police (and the military, if necessary) to restore law and order in Canada. The Prime Minister’s initiative today was long overdue and will authorize corrective actions in a number of ways. (Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time ever in response to protests | CBC News) If you wonder how far we should go in this regard, I would concur with that Prime Minister of half a century ago who said “just watch me!”