The Emergencies Act has now been revoked. This as Ontario ends the state of emergency.
Yesterday, we reported on the hilarious fail of the US “People’s Convoy” where only one semi joined 7 other vehicles. Some people remarked that they’ve seen a better turnout at a Wendy’s drive-thru. The only semi was operated by the organizer. It may have been another sign that this nightmare might be coming to an end.
In another development, Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has now revoked the Emergencies Act. From the CBC:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the use of the Emergencies Act, the powerful legislative tool that was deployed in response to protests and blockades that erupted in Ottawa and at border crossings over recent weeks.
“The situation is no longer an emergency,” Trudeau told a news conference.
“We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are now sufficient to keep people safe.”
The Governor General signed off on the revocation on Wednesday afternoon, which formally ended the state of emergency.
MPs in the House of Commons voted to affirm use of the act on Monday. The Senate was in the midst of debating the act on Wednesday but withdrew the motion shortly after Trudeau made his announcement.
The invoking of the Emergencies Act wound up being a move out of necessity. With police effectively emboldening the terrorist occupiers and citizens in the area taking matters into their own hands and showing up to counter the occupiers activities, there was a real fear that the situation could very quickly spiral out of control. Since the Act was invoked, multiple organizers were arrested. Not all of them were arrested and some were in areas just outside of the Ottawa downtown core trying to regroup. So, even after the core was cleared out, there was a need for a police presence.
Probably the surprise here is how quickly the Act was revoked. Given how much the occupiers wanted to retake the Ottawa downtown core, and their history of attempting to recapture the Ambassador Bridge, the revoking of the Act happening this quickly was a bit surprising. At the time, it seemed like it was revoked shortly after the streets were cleared and under the assumption that the occupiers had finally given up. Ultimately, revoking the Act seemed like a bit of a gamble.
Today, it seemed as though the gamble did pay off. There’s nothing that we can find on attempts to recapture Canadian territory or critical infrastructure. At most, efforts are scattered to small online echo chambers and small groups at most. Residents seemed to be satisfied that the threat of another occupation has waned enough to consider this event finally over.
Ontario Lifts State of Emergency
Meanwhile, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, has said that he has lifted the state of emergency in Ontario. It was to coincide with the revoking of the Emergencies Act. From CP24:
The state of emergency in Ontario invoked to respond to the convoy protests, and border crossing blockades has ended.
The provincial government announced that the declaration was terminated at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
In a statement, Premier Doug Ford’s office said it was in alignment with the federal government, which announced Wednesday afternoon that it is revoking the use of the federal Emergencies Act.
While the state of emergency has been lifted, the premier’s office confirmed that the emergency tools given to police “will be maintained” as they continue to “address ongoing activity on the ground.”
Under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the premier can extend orders for 14 days even after the emergency has been terminated.
This is probably another sign that this convoy story might finally be ending. Emergency orders lifted, few signs of attempting to recapture Canadian territory, and on the ground reports suggesting that things are returning to normal.
Pat King Bail Hearing Tomorrow
Perhaps another sign that things are winding down is the fact that reports are now turning to bail hearings. Earlier, we reported on Tamara Lich being denied bail after being evasive on plans to return to Alberta as well as unconvincing promises she would not continue to counsel to commit mischief. It’s unclear if this is a sign for Pat King at this time, but we do know that previous reports indicate that his bail hearing is set for tomorrow. So, there is at least one thing to look out for soon.
Otherwise, unless something else big happens in this story, we might finally be able to return to more regular news stories here on Freezenet. Covering this major story has been quite tiring and time consuming. So, finally talking about something we are more used to is actually quite welcome. However, the feeling for us is that covering this is quite likely to prove useful for later debates about technology. So, as mentally draining as it was, this coverage could prove highly useful later on and, as such, probably necessary. Hopefully not, but we’ll see what happens from here.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
