Decision to invoke emergencies act against convoy protests unreasonable: Canadian federal judge

OTTAWA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Canadian federal judge said on Tuesday the Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act in early 2022 to clear convoy protesters was unreasonable, local media reported.

"I conclude that there was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable and ultra vires," Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley was quoted by CBC as saying. "Ultra vires" is a Latin term used by courts to refer to actions beyond the scope of the law.

According to CBC, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that the government plans to appeal the decision.

The Federal Court case was brought by two national groups, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation, and two people whose bank accounts were frozen who argued Ottawa did not meet the legal threshold when it invoked the legislation, CBC reported.

Thousands of protesters angry with the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine requirements, descended on Ottawa in January 2022 and blocked border points elsewhere. The protesters parked large vehicles on key arteries in the capital city for nearly a month.

The government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022. It gave law enforcement extraordinary powers to remove and arrest protesters and gave the government the power to freeze the finances of those connected to the protests. The temporary emergency powers also gave authorities the ability to commandeer tow trucks to remove protesters' vehicles from the streets of the capital, CBC reported.