Reject The Emergencies / War Measures Act
Earlier this week, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act (formerly known as the War Measures Act) for the first time since 1970.
As a reminder, the War Measures Act was invoked in 1970 because the Quebec nationalist group, Front de libération du Québec, set off over 200 bombs across Quebec, kidnapped a British diplomat, and kidnapped and murdered the Deputy Premier of Quebec, Pierre Laporte.
We highlight this most recent usage of the War Measures Act to explain the extremely high bar required to invoke this massive expansion in government powers, and even then its usage was opposed by the NDP on civil liberties grounds.
Since 1970, Canada has faced many crises in many different forms.
The Emergencies / War Measure Act was not used to resolve the Oka Crisis, a series of protests where multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries occurred, the Calendonia land dispute, the extended blockade of pipelines and railways in 2020 and 2021, the September 11th attacks, or even the COVID-19 pandemic itself.
This is because the Emergencies / War Measures Act contains extremely strict rules about when it may be used.
Just one of these many restrictions says that a crisis must “exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it” before the federal government may step in and take over.
The crisis must also be of a nationwide nature, not restricted to just a small geographic area.
Given all the border blockades across the country were handled and ended by provincial governments before the federal government even invoked the Act, and the only remaining protest is the one in his own backyard in Ottawa, the current protest clearly fails to meet this criteria.
Unfortunately, the nature of the Emergencies / War Measures Act is that it can be initially invoked unilaterally by the government without a vote in Parliament, and a vote in Parliament need only occur if the government wishes to extend the emergency beyond seven days.
While courts may ultimately rule that the Prime Minister's usage of this law was illegal, the requirement to hold a vote in Parliament presents an opportunity to end this government overreach immediately.
The government has already announced that they intend to attempt to extend the emergency by holding a vote in Parliament, but because the government holds only a minority in the Parliament and the Senate, the opposition and independents have a very real opportunity to block the government's plan.
That's why it's vital that we call on every single member of the Parliament of Canada, including Members of Parliament and Senators from all parties, to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians by rejecting the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies / War Measures Act.
Countless legal experts and civil liberties groups across the country have already denounced the use of this law and called on the government to reverse course.
If you agree, please sign this petition, and encourage all your friends, family, and co-workers to do the same.
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I am imploring you to vote against the continuation of these emergency measures. I, and the rest of the world, have watched in abject shock and horror at the actions of, and then lies from, the Ottawa Police department over this past week (such as a horse purposely trampling a disabled female Mohawk elder with a walker then Ottawa Police claiming that it was a bike thrown at the horse).
Sadly, it is clear that this shock and horror was the intended result since no attempt at dialogue occurred prior to the implementation of such an unprecedented action. In India when protests arose with farmers, the government met 11 times with these protestors to discuss concerns. Mr. Trudeau met with none and refused to acknowledge any save to demean and discredit as having “unacceptable views” such as racism, mysoginy, and so on. These protestors included humans of all walks of life: Sikhs, Indigenous peoples, young, old, all races, creeds, political and social affiliations, and so on. There is no one in government or policing who should be condoning the furlow of Parliament to avoid voting due to an emergency that was created by Mr. Trudeau inaction, let alone the actions of the government sanctioned violent offenders hiding behind their uniforms, helmets, body armor, tear gas, assault style rifles, and batons upon peaceful unarmed and unprotected protesters.
It should raise enormous red flags for the all Canadians as to the course of the Prime Minister’s actions that the Bloc is voting with the Conservative party in an unprecedented way, as is this situation in and of itself unprecedented. I understand the two below points to be accurate and am including them as legal and neccesary support for my request for interposition.
With all convoys withdrawn from the borders, and no major highways closures, and with the Ottawa Red Zone now cleared, no reason remains for continuance of the declared Emergency Act.
I have included a letter from Dr. Naomi Wolf, former advisor to the Clinton Administration, as she articulates the complete and utter ruination that this has brought to our already traumatized and troubled country, better than I can at this moment. We stand on a precipice from which there is no coming back once embarked upon and as such, have a pivotal moment to vote with a clear conscience and an eye to the future of the state of our beautiful country, it’s people, and it’s place on the world stage as an admired peaceful and humble country. I implore you to not tarnish that further.
Whatever differences Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and Independents have in other political and social issues, this must be a unifying stance. Pierre Trudeau, saw the Charter as his greatest work, and was a founding father of this momental human and civil rights document. Human and civil rights in the form of protest should not depend solely upon the approval of the Prime Minister. Trudeau Sr. is certainly rolling in his grave!
The late Jack Layton, a man whom I greatly admired for his conscience and unrelenting advocacy for human and civil right issues, would have taken a clear stand to not wage war upon fellow Canadians as has just been done. Few actions cannot be undone, but this vote determines one of them, and it effects not just Canadians, but the entire world. Please vote your conscience and what is right for all.
Never again is RIGHT NOW.
Dr. Tamiko Lagerwaard
https://naomiwolf.substack.com/p/the-fall-of-canada-the-danger-in?utm_source=url