Canada: Justin Trudeau ends state of emergency imposed over truck protests

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No more emergency: Justin Trudeau ended the emergency in Ottawa because of the truck protests

Photo: Justin Tang / imago images/ZUMA Press

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lifted the state of emergency imposed because of the weeks of truck blockades, thereby declaring the crisis triggered by the truckers to be over.

"Today we confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency," Trudeau said at a news conference.

"The federal government will therefore end the use of emergency legislation."

With so-called freedom convoys, truck drivers blocked central roads in the Canadian capital Ottawa and border crossings to the USA for weeks.

Because of the blockades, the production of several car manufacturers had come to a standstill.

The Canadian government is "confident that existing laws and regulations are sufficient to keep people safe," Trudeau said.

The actions of the Canadian truck drivers had started in protest against the vaccination requirement at border crossings, which had been introduced by Canada and the USA in mid-January.

The protests were increasingly directed against the corona rules in Canada in general and against Trudeau's government.

The truck protests were followed around the world, including in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and New Zealand.

Emergency powers highly controversial

In a highly controversial move, Trudeau invoked emergency powers to crack down on truck drivers' protests.

It was the first time the Canadian government had exercised these powers in 50 years.

The Canadian House of Commons only approved the ratification of the state of emergency on Monday after days of debate.

However, final approval by the Senate was still pending.

Canada's Emergency Act can be used in the event of a "national crisis."

Trudeau's invocation of emergency powers gave authorities more legal powers, including to arrest protesters, confiscate their trucks and cut off funding for the protests.

The opposition had sharply criticized Trudeau for using emergency powers.

hba/AFP