Canadian court rules government was ‘unreasonable’ when it used sweeping powers to block truckers protesting against Covid rules.
A Canadian court has ruled that Justin Trudeau’s government was not justified when it used sweeping powers to break up what the prime minister called “illegal and dangerous” protest blockades across the country two years ago.
A federal court found on Tuesday the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the so-called freedom convoy protests “was not justified in relation to the relevant factual and legal constraints that were required to be taken into consideration”.
In his decision, Justice Richard Mosley wrote that the move was “unreasonable” and led to infringement of Canada’s charter of rights and freedoms.
In February 2022, truckers and their supporters occupied Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for nearly a month in a protest over public health orders related to the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters also blockaded key border crossings with the US.