Canadian Court Rules Trudeau's Actions Against Freedom Convoy 'Unjustified'
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A Canadian federal judge determined the government's implementation of emergency powers to conclude the Freedom Convoy protests in 2022 exceeded its authority and was unjustified.
For Context: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, in response to the Freedom Convoy protest, which primarily opposed the government's COVID-19 vaccine mandate and occupied Ottawa's Parliament Hill for weeks. The Emergencies Act grants the government additional powers in times of crisis. A federal inquiry in early 2023 found Trudeau's actions to be justified, but this judgment marked the first time the Act faced assessment in court, since being signed into law in 1988.
The Details: The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation filed the lawsuit, asserting that the demonstrations failed to meet the legal obligations necessary for the activation of the Emergencies Act. The court's assessment contended the law should be deployed exclusively as a last resort. The federal government announced plans to challenge this decision.
How The Media Covered It: Coverage from the Gateway Pundit (Right bias) built on the conclusions of the Canadian Federal Court, detailing how it deemed Prime Minister Trudeau's actions as “unreasonable and unconstitutional.” It emphasized the ruling’s declaration that Trudeau “violated Charter rights,” inflicting upon freedom of thought, opinion, and expression, and “infringed on the right to security against unreasonable search or seizure.” BBC News (Center bias) included both sides’ opinions, including quotes defending the government’s actions while also giving prominence to the court's declaration that the government’s use of the Emergencies Act was “unreasonable” and contrary to Canada's rights charter. This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Court Finds Trudeau Overreached by Using Emergency Law to End BlockadeA Canadian court found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the country’s Emergencies Act to end a truck convoy protest that had paralyzed the capital, Ottawa, two years ago was an unjustified infringement of civil rights, including the protection against unreasonable search and seizure, and, in some instances, the freedom of expression as well.
The Federal Court of Canada decision also found that the freezing of bank accounts of people linked to the protest was similarly unjustified, but it dismissed arguments that the government had violated a variety of...
From the Center
Canada's use of emergency powers 'unjustified' - judgeA federal judged has ruled that Canada's use of emergency powers to end the anti-government Freedom Convoy protests two years ago was "unreasonable" and unjustified.
In a decision on Tuesday, Judge Richard Mosley also said it violated Canada's rights charter.
The federal government said it will appeal the decision.
The Emergencies Act bestows the government with added powers in times of crisis.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked it on 14 February 2022, three weeks into protests that gridlocked the capital.
Dubbed the "Freedom Convoy", the protest against the government's Covid-19...
From the Right
Canadian Federal Court Deems PM Trudeau’s Usage of Emergencies Act Against Freedom Truckers in 2022 ‘Unreasonable and Unconstitutional’Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is another expert in the art of political survival. Any premier with less of a Globalist pedigree and the same dismal legacy would have been ousted a long time ago.
But lately, Trudeau seems in the worst shape of his whole premiership, and the Canadian Federal Court has just delivered a long-awaited ruling that certainly is not going to make things any easier, as it deems his actions and measures when invoking the Emergencies Act against the Canadian truckers were ‘unreasonable and unconstitutional’.
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