Canada ended a nine-day emergency declaration on Wednesday in response to the Freedom Convoy protests that interfered with commerce across the U.S.-Canada border.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau talks about the Freedom Convoy protests.
Canada's Emergencies Act allowed authorities to designate no-go areas, to order towing companies to remove vehicles and to freeze bank accounts in order to apply pressure on protesters.
Trudeau said the situation was no longer an emergency and could be handled without special powers.
While some restaurants and businesses in the city reopened by Tuesday, police still kept a constant presence around the city and around the Canadian Parliament building.
Police are going to increase their presence in order to prevent protesters from returning.
The school boards reopened schools Tuesday, but said that students might be delayed because of the checkpoint.
It is possible that the high-profile demonstrations allowed protesters to spread their message, setting the stage for a longer-term movement, according to a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation.
The Ambassador Bridge, which accounts for 25% of trade between Canada and the U.S., was blockaded by protesters in February. Trudeau granted authorities special powers to deal with the protests when he declared a public emergency on February 14. Protesters occupying the area around the parliament building were forcibly cleared away by police, who reported making 170 arrests, towing away 53 vehicles used by protesters to block downtown streets and issuing 3,600 tickets. Canada legislators voted Monday to extend the declaration of emergency. According to a February 8-9 poll, almost half of Canadians don't agree with everything the people who have taken part in the truck protests have said, but their frustration is legitimate and worthy of our sympathy.
Trudeau said the situation is no longer an emergency and that existing laws are sufficient.
Trudeau revoked emergency powers after Canada blockades ended.
Trudeau invokes rare emergency powers to shut down.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
