Prime Minister justifies Emergencies Act, Tories want de-escalation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says using the Emergencies Act is a measure of last resort to bring an end to the illegal and undemocratic blockades that have harmed Canadians for nearly three weeks now.

The House of Commons is debating the use of the Emergencies Act and will later vote on the government's decision to invoke the law for the first time since it was introduced in 1988.

Trudeau says everyone is tired of COVID-19 and protests expressing displeasure with the government's decisions on how to handle the pandemic are not a problem.

No other way: Trudeau

He says the extraordinary powers under the act are being used only because of the illegal blockade of Canadian streets and critical infrastructure funded in part by foreign entities.

"We did it [invoked the Emergencies Act] to protect families and small businesses; to protect jobs and the economy," Trudeau said at the start of the debate. "We did it because the situation could not be dealt under any other law in Canada."

Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said her party does not support the use of the act because the government has not proven the demonstrations pose a serious threat to Canada's sovereignty, security or territorial integrity and couldn't be dealt with under existing laws.

Bergen is highly critical of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for supporting the use of the act and said history will not judge that decision kindly.

'Heal divisions': Bergen

Bergen said the prime minister did nothing to attempt to de-escalate the situation outside Parliament Hill before invoking the Emergencies Act.

"I urge all members of this House, proceed with extreme caution," she said. " Now is the time to stand up for your constituents, to show real leadership, to help heal our divisions, to listen to those we disagree with, to not shut them down, to not tell them that they are irrelevant."

She describes the invocation of the act as a "power grab" by the prime minister and accuses him of doing it to save his own political skin at the cost of the rights and freedoms of Canadians.

--With files from The Canadian Press.