Following father’s footsteps, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes emergency powers to end protests

To quell the protests, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked emergency powers.

Several truckers and others have paralysed Ottawa and have blocked border crossings to demand an end to the COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

With this move, the PM has followed in the footsteps of his father former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He has also become the only leader in Canada since his father 50 years ago to declare a state of emergency in peacetime. His father had made the move in October 1970.

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Ruling out use of the military, Trudeau said on Monday that the emergency measures "will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address."

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The emergency powers have been rarely used in the country.

Under the Emergencies Act, the government has introduced several measures intended to cut off funding of protesters and took steps to reinforce provincial and local law enforcement with federal police.

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"The blockades are harming our economy and endangering public safety. We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue," Trudeau told a press briefing.

However, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said that the government had not met the standard for invoking the Emergencies Act intended to deal with threats to "sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

(With inputs from agencies)