The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for civil liberties and constitutional rights, initiated legal proceedings against the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over its decision to invoke the Emergencies Act following mass peaceful protests against mandatory vaccinations, according to CCLA representatives, who held a presser on Thursday.
"The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has spoken out loudly against this declaration and today we have our own announcement: We are taking the government of Canada to court,” a CCLA spokesperson said at the presser, aired on CTV News.
The organization previously slammed the government, saying that the Emergencies Act can only be enacted when a situation "seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada" or when the situation "cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada."
On Tuesday, Trudeau invoked the emergency law, saying the Act would give law enforcement agencies more power to stop "illegal" activities. According to Trudeau, the measures applied under the Emergency Act will be "proportionate to the threats."
However, the prime minister was short on details about the scope of the emergency powers. At least two provincial premiers demanded that the measures apply only in requesting jurisdictions.
The state of emergency will last for 30 days.
Anti-government protests have been ongoing in Canada since mid-January, and have united thousands of truckers and other demonstrators opposing vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. Under the current rules, those who arrive in the country without vaccine certificates have to maintain a two-week quarantine.
So far, the protests have led to blockades of several critical arteries, such as land border crossings between the United States and Canada, most notably the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
While Trudeau has faced criticism for invoking the Emergencies Act, the 'Freedom Convoy' protest has received widespread support from American conservatives, including former president Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, who opposes government measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.