
'We do not want to trigger an election': Emergencies Act vote seen as a confidence vote
Cracks are starting to show in House of Commons for support of the emergency powers now that the streets have cleared of protesters and bloc
'We do not want to trigger an election': Emergencies Act vote seen as a confidence vote
Cracks are starting to show in House of Commons for support of the emergency powers now that the streets have cleared of protesters and blockades
OTTAWA — Cracks are starting to show in the House of Commons in support of extending the Emergencies Act now that the streets around the parliamentary precinct in Ottawa have been cleared.
At least one Liberal MP and the NDP say they have concerns about the Emergencies Act being extended 30 days, but will vote in favour of it because they say it is a confidence vote for the minority Liberal government and they do not want to trigger an early election.
In a speech on Monday afternoon, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith said he is “not convinced” that the extraordinary measures in the Emergencies Act should extend beyond that date and said he would “vote accordingly” if it wasn’t for the fact that it is a confidence vote.
“The disagreement I’ve expressed here does not amount to non confidence, and I have no interest in an election at this time,” he said.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said it was also his interpretation that the vote that would take place on Monday evening at 8 pm ET would be deemed a confidence vote. He reiterated nonetheless that his MPs would be voting “reluctantly” in favour of extending the Emergencies Act.
“We understood absolutely that we do not want to trigger an election. That would be the worst thing to do in this crisis,” said Singh in a press conference.
“We would never allow that to happen,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not say clearly if the vote on Monday night would be conditional to his government staying in power, but his answers to reporters’ questions gave a clear indication this would be the case.
“I can’t imagine anyone voting against this bill as expressing anything other than a deep mistrust in the government’s ability to keep Canadians safe at an extraordinarily important time,” said Trudeau, who added he is “confident” the Liberals would have enough votes for it to pass.
Meanwhile, Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois remained steadfast in their opposition to the Emergencies Act, arguing it was not necessary in the first place. On Monday, they accused the government of using a power grab to force a majority vote on extending the measures.
“It would seem that the Prime Minister is strong-arming his backbench and the NDP to vote in his favour by threatening an election,” said Conservative Public Safety critic Raquel Dancho.
“The Prime Minister is invoking the most coercive of the legal arsenal and because he’s afraid to crash, he’s threatening to impose the constraint of making this a confidence vote,” added Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet.
The Emergencies Act was invoked last week to put an end to the occupation in the streets of Ottawa by truckers and protesters. It granted extraordinary powers, effective immediately, to the federal government to help police forces put an end to the situation that lasted more than three weeks.
Among the powers is one that allows banks to freeze accounts of those linked to the funding of the protests in Ottawa and elsewhere.
The RCMP said it provided banks with a list of names of influencers in the Ottawa demonstration and people who did not want to move their vehicles out of the area, but not anyone who donated to the protest, the service said.
As of Monday, Wellington Street in front of Parliament was clear from all trucks, vehicles, but also posters, camping gear and other items brought by protesters in the past weeks.
Police forces had installed barricades and strict checkpoints preventing passage in the parliamentary precinct in Ottawa for anyone arriving by car or by foot. Only those who live and work in the area can access it, and they have to show proof to do so.
Trudeau told reporters on Monday that the “state of emergency” is not over, even though the streets are now cleared from demonstrators in Ottawa.
He indicated there are still trucks affiliated with the occupation in towns around Ottawa like Arnprior and Embrun that have manifested “a desire or an openness to returning to blockades right now.”
He added that the government would continue to evaluate every day whether or not to lift the state of emergency.
After it is passed in the House of Commons, the Emergencies Act will then be debated and voted on in the Senate.

'we're not going to fight for your civil liberties because we might lose power if we do'

Fuck these shitheads.
And fuck Singh doubly so. Fucker desperately wants to keep a minority government because the Liberals need to parley with his party to maintain any power.
Every person who voted with the government should be in jail. They are accomplices to a crime.