I agree that the emergency powers legislation should be used sparingly and for only as long as absolutely necessary. Its use earlier this year was proportional to the threat facing the country and it was ended after a few days, having served its purpose. Get off that horse; it is time to move on.
This is the message that I would convey to those – including opposition parties and some members of the media – who continue to criticize the federal government for imposing emergency legislation to deal with the insurrection near the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Did the government have grounds for imposing the emergency legislation? Were they asked to do so by the police? Have they misled the Canadian people on this matter? My response would be the same as the iconic remark from Rhett Butler toward the end of Gone with the Wind – “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Have those who continue to flog this dead horse forgotten what the situation was like when the government moved to use the emergency powers? The original protest had been hijacked by various radicals – their presence revealed through such obscenities as the swastika and the mistreatment of the statue of Terry Fox and the National War Memorial. Have we forgotten that the protestors insisted that they would not leave until the duly elected government had been removed? Have we forgotten the lack of any strong and coordinated response by the proper authorities, with the Ottawa Police appearing to be particularly ineffective – while the people living in the immediate area were held hostage by this gang? Were we supposed to wait until some of these ruffians had invaded the Parliament Buildings? Would the sight of one of them sitting on the Speaker’s Chair drinking beer have been enough to make a strong response appropriate? By then I have no doubt that many would have been criticizing the government for failing to take action.
I agree that the emergency powers legislation should be used sparingly and for only as long as absolutely necessary. Its use earlier this year was proportional to the threat facing the country and it was ended after a few days, having served its purpose. Get off that horse; it is time to move on.
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AuthorC. Richard Tindal, Ph.D is a retired Professor of Government. He taught for 30 years at St. Lawrence College, Kingston and was an occasional Visiting Professor at Queen's University. He has also written and consulted extensively about government. Archives
October 2023
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