Canadian lawmakers on Monday approved expanded emergency powers that police can use to remove any potential restart of lockdowns by those who oppose restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lawmakers in Canada’s House of Commons voted 185 in favor to 151 against ratifying the powers.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously said emergency powers remained necessary despite police dispersing the protest in the country’s capital over the weekend and border blockades days earlier.
Trudeau noted there were still truckers outside Ottawa who may be plotting further blockades, and his public safety minister noted there had already been an attempt to block a crossing. border crossing into British Columbia over the weekend.
The state of emergency allows the government to ban people from entering certain areas. It also allows police to freeze truckers’ bank accounts and forces towing companies to tow vehicles.
Protests by truckers have escalated to blocking several border points with the United States and some streets in the center of the Canadian capital for more than three weeks, but all border blockades have ended and the streets around the Canadian Parliament are calm.
Most of the protesters in Ottawa, vowing never to surrender, left, chased away by police in riot gear in the largest police operation in the country’s history.
“The situation remains fragile, the state of emergency remains,” Trudeau said ahead of the vote.
Opposition Leader Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party backed him, ensuring Trudeau had enough votes. Singh said they knew there were protesters waiting around Ottawa and in the capital itself. “They need to be cleared,” Singh said.
He added that security forces intercepted several convoys of protesters.
“This is an attack on our democracy. This is a group of people who clearly have ties to the far right,” Singh said.
“The organizers clearly aim to undermine democracy. This is something we cannot allow,” he added.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that the people whose bank accounts were frozen were “those influencing the illegal protest in Ottawa, and vehicle owners or drivers who did not want to leave the area.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland previously said anyone affected had an easy way to unblock their accounts: “Stop being part of the blockade”.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said allowing police to declare downtown Ottawa a no-go zone was particularly effective. There are about 100 police checkpoints left. “We saw calm, peace and quiet,” Mendicino said.
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