The prime minister said he was left no other choice than to call on emergency powers on Feb.
Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canada’s history during February’s Freedom Convoy protest in the capital city of Ottawa.The emergency powers were lifted on Feb.A Freedom Convoy demonstrator holds a "Hold The Line" sign while dancing in Ottawa, Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testifies before the Public Order Emergency Commission public inquiry on Nov.
The Commission heard Trudeau speak in defense of the rarely used wartime measures, which were invoked to dislodge a trucker-led protests in February 2022 after weeks that brought Ottawa to a standstill and disrupted trade.
Lawyers for the convoy and others said that Trudeau had ignored a plan prepared by Ottawa police and argued that the emergency powers were unnecessary to end the protest, according to Reuters.
During his testimony, the prime minister said the protests presented a serious threat of violence, and he accused local police of putting forward a plan that "was not even in the most generous of characterizations a plan" to deal with the blocked streets, Reuters reported.officials had pressured the Canadian government to shut down the protests and remove blockades at border crossings between the U.S
On that call, Trudeau reportedly informed the president that his government had a plan to end the protests and blockades.