OTTAWA - The cabinet order invoking the Emergencies Act says the government needs temporary but extraordinary powers to end blockades because they are threatening Canada's supply chains, economic security and trading relationships in a bid to achieve political or ideological goals.
The order is now public on the government website but it took effect Monday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the plan at a news conference from Parliament Hill.
A motion declaring the same is expected to be introduced in the House of Commons today but the emergency order is already in place and will remain so for the next 30 days unless MPs vote down the motion or the government rescinds the order early.
Attorney General David Lametti says the order is not going to curb free speech or the right to protest peacefully but he says what is happening in Ottawa and at border crossings is not peaceful protest but an ideologically motivated occupation that is endangering the lives of Canadians and the economy.
The specific powers the government intends to grant temporarily under the Emergencies Act won't be in place until those orders are published but Lametti says that will happen soon.
They include going after the convoy's financing by ordering banks to freeze accounts of those involved and designating towing companies as essential services so police can order them to remove vehicles blocking roads or seize the tow trucks to remove the vehicles themselves.
