Trudeau Overreached in Quelling Covid-Rule Protests, Canadian Court Rules

Source: Bloomberg

Trudeau Overreached in Quelling Covid-Rule Protests, Canadian Court Rules

Laura Dhillon Kane and Brian Platt
Tue, January 23, 2024 at 2:07 PM EST·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to use emergency legislation to quell the “freedom convoy” protests that gripped downtown Ottawa and border crossings in 2022 was not justified, the Federal Court of Canada has ruled.

“I conclude that there was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable,” Justice Richard Mosley wrote in a ruling issued on Tuesday.

The court’s statement marks a blow to Trudeau’s government, which used the law in February that year to give itself more tools to choke off the flow of money and supplies to protesters who had blocked the streets of the capital city for weeks. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government will appeal.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Constitution Foundation and other groups had challenged the government’s use of the law to end the protests and freeze the bank accounts of people affiliated with it, arguing it was unnecessary and unconstitutional. The protesters were opposed to Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

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