Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act to end blockades and demonstrations

Today is National Flag of Canada Day, so I'm going to revisit Canadian trucker convoy spills over into U.S., blocking Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario and CNN and MSNBC report on the connections between U.S. conservatives and the Canadian trucker protests, a story that features lots of Canadian flags.* I begin with CNN reporting Trudeau invokes rare emergencies act to stop protests.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued his most aggressive response yet to the so-called "Freedom Convoy" protests, invoking the government's Emergencies Act for the first time to try to end more than two weeks of blockades and demonstrations. The law can temporarily suspend people's freedom of movement or assembly and allows authorities to go after those who financially support the protests. CNN's Paula Newton has more.

I agree with Tony Keller, editor of the Globe and Mail, that the second requirement for invoking the Emergencies Act, a jurisdiction's law enforcement being unable or unwilling to enforce law and public order, most likely happened. This is on top of the blockades at the U.S.-Canada border.

While CNN looked at the overall story, MSNBC examined the protests at both street-level in Ottawa and the level of U.S.-Canadian exchange of (bad) ideas in GOP-Backed Canadian Truckers Blockade Fizzles.

Canadian author Stephen Marche joins Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss his experience of witnessing trucker protests firsthand and why the protesters are causing “disruption for its own sake.”

Canadian conservatives maintained their integrity in the face of populist adversity. I wish I could say the same about more U.S. conservatives besides Liz Cheney and the few like her.

WDIV/Click on Detroit put a local spin in the story in Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes emergency powers due to protests on Ambassador Bridge.

At the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron and Sarnia, truckers have been waiting for two hours to cross into Michigan for much of Monday (Feb.14). Protesters gathered there Saturday after a week that saw traffic at the bridge double because of the Ambassador Bridge closure. While the Ambassador Bridge re-opened Sunday (Feb. 13) night and the farmers ended their blockade of highway 402 Monday (Feb. 14), Canada’s Prime Minister isn’t taking a chance of the Freedom Convoy protesters returning.

I'm glad that's over, for now. So are the auto companies, who lost production because of the supply chain disruption. I'm still worried about similar protests happening inside the U.S. later this month and early next month. Stay tuned.

*I told the story of the modern Canadian emblem in 50 years of the Maple Leaf Flag for Canada Day for any of my readers who are interested.