NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh defended his party’s support of the Emergencies Act being invoked in response to the 2022 Freedom Convoy after a court ruled the move was unjustified.
Mr. Singh told reporters on Jan. 23 that he had only “reluctantly supported” the invocation of emergency measures after “inaction” by various levels of government culminated in the “serious crisis.”
“From the beginning, we said and we maintain, that the reason we were in that crisis was a direct failure of [Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau’s leadership and also other levels of government that failed to act to take the challenge presented seriously,” he said during the NDP’s three-day caucus retreat in Edmonton.
“It was difficult for us, it was a difficult decision to support the emergency measures,” he added, “but we made this decision for the benefit of the country, to help the country in this situation.”
“We respect very much Canada’s independent judiciary. However, we do not agree with this decision. And respectfully, we will be appealing,” she said to reporters in Montreal. Ms. Freeland argued that Canada was dealing with a critical situation and asserted that her government’s response was appropriate.
Mr. Singh said he would “follow closely” the outcome of the government’s appeal.
On social media platform X, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that the judge’s decision indicated Mr. Trudeau “broke the highest law of the land” by implementing the Emergencies Act.
The Freedom Convoy protest originated as a demonstration against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for truckers traversing the Canada-U.S. border. The protest subsequently expanded into a broader movement opposing various pandemic-related mandates and restrictions, sparking parallel demonstrations at multiple Canada-U.S. border points.
