Ottawa: Two-thirds, or 66 per cent, of Canadians support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for invoking the Emergencies Act to give the federal government extra powers to handle the truckers’ protests across the country, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted February 14-15 by Maru Public Opinion among a random selection of 1,518 Canadian adults, showed that a vast majority, or 82 per cent, say that there is no way this protesting should have gone on as long as it has, reports Xinhua news agency.
Some 67 per cent of people surveyed believe that it’s time to clear out the protesters in Ottawa, even if it means people who will not leave may get hurt, or worse; And 71 per cent believe Canada is an international embarrassment for not being able to run its own country, according to the survey.
However, the underlying dynamic for that support is driven by a mix of pent-up emotion, resolve, and unsettling admissions, the Maru Public Opinion said.
On February 14, Trudeau declared the public order emergency for the first time in the country’s history to support provinces in ending the ongoing blockades caused by the ongoing anti-Covid truckers protests.
Addressing the media here Monday, Trudeau said that he invoked the Emergencies Act to give the federal government extra and “temporary” powers to handle the issue, adding the move targets to those areas in need, not the whole country.
The Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in the 1980s, provides special powers to respond to emergency scenarios affecting public welfare (natural disasters, disease outbreaks), public order (civil unrest), and international emergencies or war emergencies.
In late January, thousands of Canadian truckers and their supporters descended on Ottawa to oppose the government’s Covid-19 vaccine requirement for truckers crossing the border into the US, which has the same policy.
On February 11, Ontario province, where Ottawa is located, declared a state of emergency to quell the convoy protests.
