Key Takeaways:
- Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has stated that the province would sue the federal government over the Emergencies Act.
- The government is also considering participating in further court challenges launched by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation, according to Kenney.
Premier Jason Kenney of Alberta says the province will take the federal government to court over its Emergencies Act.
On Saturday, the premier stated that activating the Act is “unnecessary” and breaches “natural justice.”
In a video released on social media, Kenney stated, “The federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act is an unnecessary and disproportionate act that can violate civil rights, invade provincial sovereignty, and set a very dangerous precedent for the future.”
He went on to say, “It’s not essential.” “Provincial law enforcement organizations can deal with illegal road blockades.”
Also read: COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax has been licensed for Canadians aged 18 and over
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the first Canadian leader in using federal legislation as the last option to cope with almost four weeks of anti-COVID-19 protests in Ottawa, which morphed into anti-government sentiments.
Canadians hold the right to peaceful protest, but they must do so “lawfully and peacefully,” according to the premier.
“The question then is why is the federal government utilizing power it doesn’t need to confiscate bank accounts and assets from people arbitrarily, extrajudicially, and without court orders, based on their ideas or who they’ve given to,” Kenney said. He went on to say that those capabilities are intended to “disrupt” activities such as “terrorist funding.”
“It’s incomprehensible.”
Kenney said the government is also considering intervening in additional court cases brought by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation.
Kenney wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, stating the province’s objection to the use of the Emergencies Act to put an end to the “Freedom Convoy” rallies in Ottawa and other protests around the country over COVID-19 public health regulations.
Kenney said in the letter that Ottawa’s declaration of a public order emergency was “contrary to Alberta’s intentions” and that the federal government could have helped the situation in Ottawa in other ways.
“Through excellent police work by the RCMP and allied law enforcement agencies, Alberta effectively controlled the repercussions of the Coutts roadblock and other protesters,” the premier remarked.
“While the protests in Alberta and elsewhere have been disruptive at times, they do not constitute a national emergency.”
“Rather, they are a sign of the difficulties many Canadians have faced as a result of the epidemic,” Kenney added. He went on to say that Ottawa’s vaccination requirement for cross-border trucks serves “no significant public health objective.”
Source: CTV News
