The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) announced it is suing the Canadian government for invoking the Emergencies Act, arguing the emergency powers are a violation of human rights.
CCLA executive director Noa Mendelsohn said, “Emergency powers cannot and must not be normalized.” She added that the act “seriously infringes on the Charter rights of Canadians.”
The act was approved by parliament in 1988. It was used for the first time by Trudeau’s government, with the justification that the civil liberties protests are a threat to Canada’s economy and public safety.
“Protest is how people in a democracy share their political messages of all kinds, whether they be environmental activists, students taking to the streets, Indigenous land defenders, workers on strike, people who know that Black lives matter, and others who oppose government measures of all kinds,” Mendelsohn said.
Amnesty International also criticized Canada for invoking the Emergencies Act, arguing it “raises concerns and questions relating to the respect of human rights.”
We obtained a copy of the court filing for you here.
