EDITORIAL – Invoking Emergencies Act isn’t the same as War Measures of 1970

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

‘JUST WATCH ME.’

Those words from then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, spoken in 1970, are being recalled by many today. They were Trudeau’s response to a reporter who asked him how far he would go with suspending liberties to maintain order during the October Crisis caused by the FLQ.

A few days later, he implemented the War Measures Act. His son Justin has now invoked the modern-day version of that act, the Emergencies Act. It will give the federal government more powers to deal with the trucker protests that have threatened the economy and continue to seriously hinder life around Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Trudeau the younger can now take steps to remove the blockades and strike at the finances of the truckers, which might prove to be a more effective tool than trying to surround them with police.

But isn’t this just another threat to our freedoms, validating the fears of the truckers?

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.