Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Canada’s MPs are set to vote on the use of the Emergencies Act later tonight following a rare weekend sitting of the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed the use of the act in response to the protest convoy that occupied Ottawa’s downtown core for over three weeks.
“It became clear that local and provincial authorities needed more tools to restore order and keep people safe,” Trudeau said during a Monday morning press conference.
Although police have cleared the roads in front of Parliament Hill yesterday, Trudeau says the act is still needed.
“Even though things seem to be resolving very well in Ottawa, this state of emergency is not over,” he said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has voiced his support in invoking the Emergencies Act.
In a video posted to her official Twitter account, Hastings-Lennox and Addington Conservative MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman called the act an ‘abuse of power’.
“I believe we have a responsibility to reflect on how we have become so divided,” Kramp-Neuman said during a virtual question period. “Instead of peace, order and good government, we’re witnessing chaos and disorder and poor government. Today, our honourable member acknowledged the question of leadership. So my question is on behalf of the thousands of emails and phone calls that I’ve received from people in my riding of Hastings-Lennox and Addington. Do you agree that we need to stop this abuse of power and focus on our strengths and opportunities as a country?”