Federal Ministers Provide Update on Protests Response and Use of Emergencies Act

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland holds a virtual news conference to provide an update on the action being taken to end ongoing blockades and protests. She is joined by federal cabinet ministers Marco Mendicino (public safety), David Lametti (justice) and Bill Blair (emergency preparedness), as well as Mark Holland (government House leader). The House of Commons has cancelled the day’s sitting due to a police operation taking place near Parliament Hill, where a convoy protest is now in its twenty-second day. MPs had been scheduled to continue their debate on a motion to confirm the government’s declaration of a public-order emergency under the Emergencies Act. The government invoked the measure on February 14 as part of an effort to resolve ongoing blockades and protests in several parts of the country. (February 18, 2022)