Well, at least this part is true. The invocation of the Emergencies Act is a disgusting overreach.
I’m mostly in agreement. There were many “normal” laws that should have been used much earlier to deal with this. There should have been an injunction brought by the city in the first few days about blasting horns; it should not have been up to a 22 year old citizen to do this.
Trucks should have been towed within 24 hours, as they were clearly breaking the law by blocking streets. The city or the province should have done this.
Police should have kettled trucks in using obvious bottlenecks, and issued tickets, instead of leaving this up to citizen group to organize on their own. If this was allowed to continue, I could see major trouble, as two groups of people started pitched battles in the streets (because law enforcement was absent).
The Federal government was clearly waiting for the province and/or the city to DO SOMETHING. They did not.
The emergencies act is like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. It is just too much.
However, I think it may have been the only way to get at the millions of dollars in money that was floating around, “helping” the blockade. (much of which came from foreign actors). The feds could not easily have closed the money spigots as fast without the Act being invoked. This closure of the money spigot had a lot to do with the collapse of the blockades, IMO.
Break your concerns down. What do you think it takes to get support for something like this? It’s a web call with discussions of any concerns.
It would go something like this: We have 100 possible tools we could use if this is invoked. We want to use 6 of them. Any discussions or concerns?
It’s no like the act consists of any mandatory use of power. It’s a federal tool chest that Provinces can tap into for help.
There is no need to even pretend a negotiation with people who arrive and announce, ‘We’re not leaving till we get our way!’
They had their demonstration and then refused to leave. Three full weeks later, after enormous costs to industry and businesses, and the cities involved, emergency measures are totally the right reaction.
Which is why ‘disgusting overreach’ is a minority position that isn’t getting any real traction.
I’m open to the argument that there may have been some overreach, and that’s definitely a discussion that we’ll need to have in the coming months. The critics are correct in that we don’t want to become complacent about the government using this act.
But I’m at a loss as to how this is, automatically and apparently obviously, a “disgusting” overreach. What one specific thing is “disgusting” about this? The closest I can come in my own mind to that epithet is the claim, entirely without a basis in fact, that the government is using this go after the bank accounts of people who merely donated small amounts to the convoy.
Everything else they’ve done seems pretty reasonable to me.
But see, that’s the thing. Tow truck operators did not want to get involved lest they lose future business. The Emergencies Act was required to compel people to tow the big rigs. I mean, that’s understandable, right?
Absolutely understandable.
The province and the city of Ottawa did nothing for weeks, forcing the federal government to do something. And when they did, Trudeau was personally vilified. As he was vilified before for NOT doing anything. And now, no doubt he’ll be vilified for cancelling the Emergencies Act.
Apparently, everything is Trudeau’s fault, no matter what.
Because that’s what this whole thing was all about from the get-go. Driven by folks in Alberta who hate him, and will continue to do so no matter what.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have cancelled democracy?
Because so many people voted for the protestors.
Although the Canadian economy is much more divergent than the oil patch, I do think there is a legitimate Alberta beef about getting their product to market. But that’s another thread, and I know many here disagree.
The Financial Post and National Review thought there was overreach, unsurprisingly. Not sure what happens to no-go areas now, or if towing is available should it be needed again soon.
The part I’m interested in as the idea of selling the trucks that were towed. Not sure how they could get away with doing that.
Civil forfeiture is the usual way. They were used in the commission of a crime, and then abandoned by the owners instead of moving them as was repeatedly requested by the police.
There’d be a lot more sympathy for their complaints if they could actually acknowledge that their entire economy is tied to an industry that is becoming obsolete, and which only generates a profit when the price of oil skyrockets. And also that the pipelines they keep demanding are politically unpopular, while also crossing multiple jurisdictions, increasing the chances that someone along the line will call a halt to the project at some point.
We’ve been trying to get them to recognize the reality of all that for decades now, and to start diversifying their economy so as to not be so completely dependent on oil, and it seems like all we get back in return is shouting about the National Energy Program from 40 years ago, and “Fuck Trudeau!”
Just guessing but if they’re charged with doing millions of dollars of damage to the economy it could be part of the fine imposed.
For those who worried about the trucks being sold, here’s a heartwarming video of several of them picking up their trucks from where they were impounded. Enjoy watching them whine about have to pay $1200 each to get the trucks back, and also whine that the police didn’t go out of their way to keep the trucks in pristine condition while they searched them for contraband and then towed them.
Pauvres bébés😁
As we are so often reminded, the SDMB is an English-language board, so let me translate that:
“Poor babies.”
Still, good comment, velomont. And I agree with it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, get hit with stupid impoundment fees. Gee, Mr. Trucker, what did you think was going to happen?
I wonder if the windoew were left open on purpose?
I love how the guys who spent three weeks going out of their way to harass an entire city are saying the cops “didn’t have the decency” to roll up their windows." Fucking hypocrites.
Pobrecitos.
What I also love is how they didn’t have the brains or fortitude or whatever to take an hour out of their day to get a jab, all the while propelled by ignorance, stupidity and entitlement to waste a month of their lives fucking over an entire downtown of a city.
They are entitled assholes.
That’s all.