By Sumayya
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is going to listen to arguments from the federal government. The government
wants to explain its legal reason for using the Emergencies Act four years ago to stop protests in the national capital and at major
border locations. For about three weeks in January and February 2022, the downtown area of Ottawa was packed with protesters.
This included many people driving large trucks who blocked up the streets around Parliament Hill.
While a lot of these protesters were marching against COVID-19 health rules, the gathering also brought in people who had
different complaints against then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and his government.
On Feb. 14, 2022, the government activated the Emergencies Act. This law allowed for short-term rules, which included
controlling and banning public gatherings, picking secure locations, telling banks to freeze financial accounts, and banning people
from giving support to those taking part in the protests.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), along with other groups, went to Federal Court and successfully argued that
Ottawa did not have proper legal reasons to bring in these emergency steps.
In January, a panel of three judges from the Federal Court of Appeal completely agreed with that original ruling. This decision
caused the federal government to ask for a new hearing at the Supreme Court.
