It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with premiers about using the Emergencies Act to quell demonstrations that have paralyzed Ottawa's downtown core and several border crossings, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he would support the legislation if it is tabled. Singh says borders need to be reopened immediately and the "seige" on Ottawa needs to end.
IN 1970 THE NDP FACING POTENTIAL JAIL TIME OPPOSED THE WAR MEASURES ACT
THE ONLY PARTY IN THE HOUSE TO DO SO.
BIG BROTHER INC. Meta agrees to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit alleging Facebook kept tracking users after they logged off
Meta will pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it kept tracking users after they logged off. The 2012 suit said Facebook used plug-ins and cookies to track visits to third-party websites containing "like" buttons. If approved, this would be one of the 10 biggest data privacy class action settlements ever.
Meta has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a decade-old lawsuit alleging Facebook kept tracking users' internet activity after they'd logged off of the platform.
The proposed settlement was filed late Monday and still requires court approval. If approved, it would be one of the 10 biggest data-privacy class-action settlements ever, according to the document.
The 2012 lawsuit alleges that, between April 2010 and September 2011, Facebook violated privacy and wiretapping laws by using plug-ins to store cookies tracking users' visits to third-party websites that contained "like" buttons. The social media site had users' permission to track them while they were logged in but promised to stop when they logged out.
Besides the $90 million sum, which would be distributed among affected users, the settlement would require that Facebook delete data improperly collected on users through the use of this practice.
Meta did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but a spokesperson told Variety, "Reaching a settlement in this case, which is more than a decade old, is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders and we're glad to move past this issue." As part of the settlement, Meta denies any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit was dismissed in 2017 when a federal judge said the plaintiffs failed to show they had a reasonable expectation of privacy or that they suffered economic harm. In 2020, a federal appeals court revived the case, saying there is economic harm in such a situation. Facebook tried to have the Supreme Court take up the case, but it declined, allowing the federal appeals court's decision to stand.
A Pew Research Center report shows why people are deciding to work from home rather than return to offices.
Even with fewer concerns about COVID-19, people who often work from home just prefer this work model.
The number of people citing pandemic closures as a major reason for working from home has been declining.
Although businesses haven't really reduced office space in the pandemic and some companies may be expecting workers to return soon, plenty of employees have become hooked on the work-from-home life.
While the pandemic is far from over, it looks like COVID-19 concerns are becoming less of a major reason for people to work from home. Instead, many are choosing this work model just because they like teleworking.
"Among those who have a workplace outside of their home, 61% now say they are choosing not to go into their workplace, while 38% say they're working from home because their workplace is closed or unavailable to them," according to a new report from Pew Research Center. "Earlier in the pandemic, just the opposite was true: 64% said they were working from home because their office was closed, and 36% said they were choosing to work from home."
Pew's analysis is based on survey results of 5,889 employed US adults who have one primary job. The broader January survey includes results from 10,237 US adults from January 24 to January 30, 2022.
Additionally, 76% of workers with offices already open reported their "major reason" for working remotely from home all or most of the time was just due to the fact that they prefer this work style. In October 2020, 60% said this. Less than half (42%) cited concerns of exposure to coronavirus as a reason for working from home in the January 2022 survey — a smaller share than the 57% in October 2020.
Fewer workers with kids under 18 said childcare was a factor compared to October 2020, but it's still relevant for some — 45% in 2020 versus 32% in 2022.
"What we're seeing is that working from home has worked for people," Juliana Horowitz, associate director of research at Pew Research Center and a co-author of the new report, told Insider. "We saw this even in 2020 when it'd been a quick shift to remote work, and we saw that for the most part people thought it was easy for them to have what they needed to work from home and to continue to meet deadlines and to be productive."
"We continue to see that today, and people see telework and remote work as something that can help them balance things in terms of work and family, and it's something that people would like to continue doing after the pandemic is over," Horowitz added. Like working in an office, remote working has its perks
According to the report, 59% of US workers who are capable of doing their job from home reported they were working from home most or all of the time in the January 2022 survey, less than the 71% in October 2020. Working from home may be ideal for parents who are juggling childcare duties or for people who want to save on commuting. Survey responses from Pew Research highlight some other positives of teleworking.
Sixty-four percent said working from home has made it easier to balance work and personal life, with 16% working from home at least some of the time saying this kind of telework has made it harder. This balance may be good news for workers who have been trying to manage the line between work and life as Horowitz said based on other research from Pew Research, "we know that flexibility and being able to balance work and personal life is very much a priority for workers even before the pandemic."
And people newly working remotely at least some of the time are feeling productive — 44% responded to it's "easier for you to get your work done and meet deadlines," but 10% said it's harder. As noted by FlexJobs, fewer interruptions and a quieter space add to remote productivity.
However, 60% said they're feeling less connected to their colleagues due to work from home, and only 4% said they felt more connected. Horowitz noted Pew didn't ask what respondents meant by "connected" — whether they interpreted that question as personal connections with coworkers or something else. Other negatives outside of the survey results may be burnout or micromanaging from managers.
Regardless of some negatives that come with telework, this and other surveys suggest that remote workers want to continue this flexible arrangement and continue to reap its associated benefits.
"Given what [workers] told us in the survey," Horowitz said, "in terms of preferences for the future, as long as employers allow telework it seems clear that that's something that employees have seen the benefits of."
Truckers unfazed by Emergencies Act that compares the blockades to terrorism
OTTAWA – A day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to give his government exceptional powers to end protests across the country, truckers remain parked just off Parliament Hill and it is still unclear when the blockades will come to an end.
Security experts are also split on whether the act, which has not been invoked since it was drafted in 1988, was necessary to end the crisis.
The government published the order in council to implement the act Tuesday morning. It says the emergency in this instance is the “blockades by both persons and motor vehicles that is occurring at various locations throughout Canada and the continuing threats to oppose measures to remove the blockades, including by force.”
It also argues the blockades and the potential for violence is “for the purpose of achieving a political or ideological objective within Canada,” a key sentence that mirrors the language around terrorism in the criminal code.
Ryan Alford, a professor with Lakehead University, said comparing the protests on Parliament Hill to terrorism is an overreach by the government. He said the protest, however inconvenient and illegal, has not included widespread violence.
“When we’re looking at Parliament Hill, we’re seeing bouncy castles. We’re not seeing attempts to storm Parliament,” he said.
Alford said using such a heavy measure risks further inflaming the protesters.
“Their grievance is that there has been unconstitutional infringement of their constitutional rights. And now, this response, a highly incendiary response, is being criticized by leading civil libertarians,” he said.
Wesley Wark, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said invoking the act was the right call. He said the protests were clearly beyond the scope of what local governments could handle.
“The inability of the Ottawa authorities to deal with the protest. The inability of the OPP and the Ontario government to deal with it, really left us in Canada with the federal government as the only player,” he said.
He said the government needed the tools the act offers and is using them surgically to put an end to disruptive events. He said mirroring the language around terrorism was the best fit the government had and could ultimately bring an end to the crisis.
“From my perspective, I think the ends justify the means to be honest,” he said.
The act will give new powers to police to end the protest, as well bring a suite of potential financial tools to crack down on crowdfunding sites that have been used to fuel the protests.
The order in council specifies the act will be used to potentially restrict protest from certain areas and in a background briefing senior officials said one way it could be used is to prevent children from protest sites, which has been a concern in Ottawa.
As of press time, the government had not tabled a motion in Parliament, as the act requires it to do within seven days. Government House Leader Mark Holland said he was talking with opposition parties and the motion would be tabled “imminently,” though he didn’t specify what that meant.
The act requires a parliamentary committee be set up to review how the government is using the act and a public inquiry be struck after the emergency is over to review its use.
Border crossings in Surrey, British Columbia, and Coutts, Alberta are both now reopened, and police say they have negotiated with protesters at Emmerson, Manitoba. None required the tools in the Emergencies Act.
Several premiers have said they don’t want the tools the Trudeau government is offering, but the act applies across the country whether premiers want the tools or not.
The protesters on Ottawa’s streets were unfazed by the Emergencies Act declaration and are still parked on downtown streets in large numbers.
The new policing tools will be going to a new chief in Ottawa, as police chief Peter Sloly announced his resignation on Tuesday. Sloly faced repeated criticism for how he handled the protests.
In a statement posted online he said he was doing his best to protect people during an enormous crisis.
“Since the onset of this demonstration, I have done everything possible to keep the city safe and put an end to this unprecedented and unforeseeable crisis,” he said. “I’m confident the Ottawa police services is now better positioned to end this occupation.”
The RCMP, OPP and Ottawa Police are now working together under an integrated command structure.
Ottawa councillor Dianne Deans, who is also chair of the police services board, said she was glad to see the RCMP and OPP as part of the command, because Ottawa Police have not been able to handle the protest.
“The OPS has been unable to adequately enforce our laws,” she said. “Like other residents in Ottawa, I have watched in disbelief as the carnival of chaos has been allowed to continue.”
Deputy chief Steve Bell told police service board members Tuesday that he believes an end to the blockade is in sight.
“I believe we now have the resources and partners to bring a safe end to this occupation,” he said. “I deeply feel for the strain and stress that has been placed on our city’s residents, They need to know that we are working with our in ourselves and with our partners to put a timely and effective end to this.”
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the federal government had nothing to do with Sloly’s resignation. He said the government invoked the act to give police more tools to end the crisis.
“We are going to continue to work around the clock until we get that job done and we obviously depend on our law enforcement to now enforce the laws that the government has written.”
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta looks set to return to a budget surplus this coming fiscal year, ending seven years of deficit, as surging oil prices swell provincial royalty revenues and provide a boost to Premier Jason Kenney ahead of a spring leadership review.
The oil and gas sector accounts for around 17% of Alberta's GDP, and a rally in U.S. crude to seven-year highs above $90 a barrel is super-charging the royalties that producers pay to extract the province's vast fossil fuel reserves.
Some analysts say the windfall, which could exceed the province's previous oil royalties record of C$10.8 billion ($8.52 billion), will allow Alberta to balance its books and return to a surplus in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The government unveils its budget on Feb. 24.
Last year, Alberta slashed its 2021-22 deficit forecast from C$18.2 billion to C$5.8 billion and since then oil prices have rocketed even higher.
No other Canadian province is expecting a surplus in 2022-23, according to an RBC report released in November.
The expected bonanza is well-timed for United Conservative Party leader Kenney, who slumped in public opinion polls due to what critics describe as his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He faces a leadership review in April after members of his party called for his resignation.
"He is banking on positive economic news that will hold sway over all the other problems he is facing," said Duane Bratt, a politics professor at Calgary's Mount Royal University. Cost of lumber soars, disrupts housing market
While a balanced budget may help burnish Kenney's reputation, Alberta still faces economic headwinds. The province has the highest rates of long-term unemployment in Canada, according to a Business Council of Alberta report, and capital investment in the oil and gas sector remains more than 50% below a 2014 peak.
Bratt said he expects Kenney to survive the leadership review - which entails party members voting on whether to retain him as leader - but the premier may face a backlash in next year's provincial election.
An Alberta government spokesperson said the province is still finalizing calculations on how exactly oil and gas royalty revenue will impact the budget.
BORROWING COSTS IMPROVE
The improved fiscal outlook has already helped improve borrowing costs. The gap between Alberta's 10-year yield and the yield on the equivalent bond issued by Ontario, Canada's most populous province, has narrowed from nearly 40 basis points in April 2020 to about 5 basis points.
The previous high point for Alberta royalty revenue was in 2005/06 when the government raked in C$10.8 billion. Since then a prolonged downturn in oil prices starting in 2014 has weighed on Alberta's finances and prompted many international oil majors to cut their investments in the province.
Now, Alberta is benefiting from changes to the royalty rate formula made in 2017, which translate to higher rates as prices rise. Production from the oil sands are at a record high and a number of major projects have hit "post-payout" in the last year - the point at which a project's cumulative revenue surpasses the initial investment - and switched to a higher royalty rate.
"We have never in Alberta's history seen a change this quick or large (in the budget balance)," said Trevor Tombe, an economics professor at the University of Calgary.
"We may very well see royalty revenues higher than any point in Alberta's history."
($1 = 1.2726 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary; Additional reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Kenney, Moe, join U.S. governors urging end to trucker COVID-19 vaccination rules
by The Canadian Press
EDMONTON — The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan have joined more than a dozen U.S. governors in calling for an end to mandated COVID-19 vaccines for cross-border truckers.
Alberta’s Jason Kenney and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan have signed a public letter urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden to reverse the decision.
The premiers say getting vaccinated is important, but the mandate will force out thousands from the trucking industry and aggravate existing supply chain problems.
The decision to end vaccine and quarantine exemptions for cross-border truckers sparked blockades and protest demonstrations at Canadian border points and cities, including in Ottawa.
Sixteen U.S. governors of states ranging from Georgia to Alaska have also signed the letter.
Kenney says he expects more leaders to sign in the coming days.
"I got the ball rolling on this letter during my trip to the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., in late January," Kenney wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
"The trucker vax mandate has no credible public health benefit, but has caused predictable disruption." BULLSHIT
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.
The Canadian Press
'A perfect solution': Manitoba border blockade ends as RCMP escort protesters away
The last of the protesters involved in the weeklong Canada-U.S. border blockade at Emerson, Man., have been escorted away by RCMP and all lanes were reopened to traffic as of early Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm feeling real relief because it's been a long week and a lot of our businesses have suffered here," said Dave Carlson, reeve for the municipality of Emerson-Franklin.
"[I'm] relieved that they're going to be back in business and also relieved that this has been done peacefully."
Up to 75 vehicles — including semi-trailer trucks, pickup trucks, farm and construction machinery and even snowplows — had blocked the border crossing since Feb. 10.
Some trucks started pulling out Tuesday, when the Mounties said they had reached a resolution and were co-ordinating an end to the blockade with those protesters still there.
"We didn't want to rush in" and issue tickets or make arrests, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said Wednesday morning during a news conference on Highway 75 near the U.S. border.
"Communication resulted in what we have today. To me it was the best course of action," he said when asked why it took a week to deal with an issue that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has said affected $73 million in trade a day.
The situation has been resolved without injuries, arrests, charges or anything being towed, he said.
"It's a perfect solution."
A different situation in a different province might call for swifter action and perhaps have a different outcome, Manaigre said.
"But we felt, like I say, the way the situation was developing here, we needed to take a prudent and safe measure."
The promise of no arrests in exchange for a peaceful departure was part of the dialogue the RCMP had with the protesters over the past few days, he said.
"They wanted to get their message across, which I believe they have, and we wanted to make sure they understood where we were coming from."
The discussions over the past week were good but the fear of violence erupting or the presence of weapons is always in the back of the RCMP's mind, Manaigre said.
"There's been no information to suggest that was a possibility but it's part of the planning, part of our contingencies, " he said. "We have to be prepared for it."
Earlier this week, RCMP in Alberta arrested a number of people who were part of a protest near a U.S. border crossing in that province. A cache of firearms and ammunition was found in three trailers, police said.
While all lanes heading to U.S. customs were blockaded at Emerson for the past several days, protesters allowed some cargo, such as medical supplies and livestock, to pass through.
"We're not aware of anything at this moment [but] there's always situations that can develop," he said.
"Right now, we'll focus on today and learn from [that]."
Another protest on Broadway, in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building in downtown Winnipeg, has been going on for about two weeks and remains in place.
Both are part of a number of demonstrations in cities and border crossings across Canada by people who oppose COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a federal vaccine mandate for truckers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act Monday, for the first in time in Canada's history, to give the federal government extra powers to handle ongoing protests against pandemic restrictions.
Emerson typically sees about 1,000 trucks cross the border each day, Carlson said.
"We have a great relationship with our friends and neighbours across the [border] here and we look forward to being able to see them again, visit with them and do business with them." Reopening reaction
In an email statement on Wednesday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told CBC News he is grateful for the work of the RCMP, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and other provincial officials to resolve the border situation peacefully and resume cross-border traffic.
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decrease, he is urging the federal governments in both Canada and the U.S. to consider reinstating vaccine exemptions for cross-border truck drivers.
have united Canadians and reignited a dormant patriotism.
Jenn Froese, one of the protesters at the Emerson border, said she does not feel the demonstrators' efforts failed, but rather emboldened a lost patriotism for Canadians.
While generally, Americans have tended to display flags outside their homes and on vehicles more than Canadians, that's now changed, she suggested.
"That's what this is doing, it's bringing us together," she said.
"I feel that we need to show the government that we need to be heard. I think the battle is … we need to show our Canadian flag and show our support for the side of the government that's fighting for us."
blockade displays an upside down Canadian flag and a number of messages.
A group representing Canadian manufacturers issued a release saying it applauds the end of the blockade, but wants all levels of government "to develop tailored solutions" for each border crossing in Canada to prevent future disruptions.
"The [Emerson] crossing is Manitoba's most important connection to its largest market — the United States," said Ron Koslowsky, vice-president of the Manitoba division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, in the release.
"Canada's trade and transportation infrastructure, which is crucial to the lives of Canadians and their livelihoods, must be protected.
"The right to protest is an enshrined right which we wholeheartedly support but it's never acceptable to hold the jobs and livelihoods of Manitobans at ransom."
Arrests as RCMP clear protest near Pacific Highway border crossing in B.C.
VANCOUVER — Traffic was moving again Tuesday through the main commercial truck crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, hours after RCMP made numerous arrests and ordered an end to a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.
Officers ordered demonstrators out of the area just north of the border crossing at Pacific Highway late Monday, said Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha.
A statement released by RCMP says 12 people had been arrested, adding to the four taken into custody for mischief on Sunday.
Those arrested began blocking routes leading to the truck crossing last week, but police said there were concerns that some people may try to stay until all pandemic-related mandates were lifted.
"The public can expect to see a continued police presence in the area in the days ahead, with ongoing assessments of the situation," the RCMP statement says.
Sangha said Mounties were monitoring southbound traffic at the crossing 50 kilometres south of Vancouver and are allowing commercial trucks to pass but will question drivers of private cars to ensure they plan to enter the United States.
Surrey RCMP took action after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, which would give the federal government temporary and extraordinary powers to deal with protests that have clogged Ottawa's downtown core and shut down several border crossings this month.
Trudeau also said Canadians could be reassured that the Canada Border Services Agency was turning back non-Canadians trying to enter Canada to participate in blockades at several ports of entry across the country.
The agency had already turned back several people hoping to join the B.C. protest, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.
"By exercising existing enforcement authorities, the CBSA has directed some foreign nationals back to the United States and in other cases, travellers chose to leave Canada voluntarily," Patrick Mahaffy said.
"Throughout the public order emergency, the mere intention to engage in unlawful demonstrations will, by itself, form a basis for the CBSA to deny entry to travellers," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.
against Covid mandates gather on Feb. 11, 2022 in Ottawa.
I’m here in Saskatoon and I can do very little. Things feel far away and out of control. I can help push out a couple of cars out of the street-side axle-deep slush when a sudden thaw comes along. I can make sure there’s traction sand on the icy spots on the sidewalk when the hard freeze inevitably comes back. I can try and be extra-neighbourly here in this time of hardening attitudes and distrust
Sunday, a dark blue pickup truck tooled down my street with “F—k Trudeau” signs in the windows and a big Canadian flag on a stick in the back. A little bit of the convoy protest cruising along the boulevard.
It made me remarkably angry — this is what is supposed to pass as patriotism?
If you want to express your feelings for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, go right ahead. But don’t wrap yourself in our flag.
This is our country’s flag, a flag for all of us, not some cheap form of justification for bad — or even illegal — behaviour.
A retired police officer in Ottawa put it more directly: “The most tragic part of this protest is the fact that the Canadian flag, a symbol of democracy and decency, is now affiliated with hostility and fascism! We can no longer display or wear it for fear of being mistaken for the #carnivalofmisfits.”
I’m not sure I would go that far — I wouldn’t say that every convoy display of the flag is instantly connected to fascism (though some of those elements seem to have found a home deep within the convoy without any effective pushback from other protestors).
But I would say that the co-opting of our flag and our national anthem — the regular singing of which is somehow supposed to put the gloss of justification on everything from blockades to truck-horns to suggestions that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be hung without trial — is both discouraging and insulting.
Let me be clear about one thing.
Protesters are absolutely within their rights to peacefully protest, as long as those protests are within the established laws of our nation. And I know there are people who honestly believe, for whatever reason, that the convoy protesters are not only on the side of the good, but that the public relations display of bouncy-castles and free hotdogs are a more accurate portrayal of the events in Ottawa, Windsor and Coutts than blockades you can see on television news or the weapons the RCMP have seized from a small faction inside the protests.
I understand there are those who think it’s all been nothing more than a party.
And sure, it’s been a great party for some, but it’s a party that has cost, and will continue to cost, hundreds of millions of dollars. Canadians will pay for it, too, out of our own pockets, and for long after the protests are over.
Carrying a nation’s flag — whether right-side-up or upside-down, in pristine condition or scrawled with slogans — doesn’t make you the good guy. Nor does the mere fact that you know the words and the tune of the national anthem represent inviolable proof of good intentions.
And this is not just a protest. Remember: there are those amongst these “patriots” who have argued they should be able to topple a democratically-elected government — a government elected just months ago — and replace it with a coalition including their own sweet unelected selves. People who insist they will not stop the expensive disruption of trade and commerce in this country until their demands are met. No number of anthems sung or flags waved can justify the sheer insult of that concept.
In a democracy, patriots meet at the ballot box, not under threats and blackmail.
But who am I? Just one patriotic Canadian among many, shovelling the snow so that my neighbours and other passers-by can walk safely, a Canadian who now feels a troubling discomfort with the idea of publicly displaying the flag of our nation.
Think about that for a minute.
Our flag.
Not your flag.
Ours.
Russell Wangersky is the editor in chief of the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He can be reached at rwangersky@postmedia.com
Justin Trudeau's emergency law not the same as the one his father invoked in 1970s
MONTREAL — The similarities between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Monday and his father's use of a previous emergency law more than 50 years ago wasn't lost on Quebec Premier François Legault.
"Of course I thought about that, what happened with the father in 1970," Legault told reporters this week.
In 2020, Legault called on Justin Trudeau to apologize for the measures his father took by deploying the military in the province and arresting hundreds of Quebecers.
On Monday, Justin Trudeau said his government needed the Emergencies Act's extraordinary powers to end blockades that are threatening Canada's supply chains, economic security and trading relationships. It was the first time the law has been used since it replaced the War Measures Act in 1988.
While a prime minister named Trudeau using emergency powers may bring back memories of the October Crisis, experts say the Emergencies Act and the War Measures Act are separate laws used in different contexts.
The use of the War Measures Act led to the arrest of nearly 500 people — the vast majority were never charged with any crime — and to thousands of warrantless searches in Quebec
The Emergencies Act grants the federal government temporary powers, including the right to prohibit certain public assemblies such as blockades, the ability to prohibit the use of money to support the blockades, and the ability to impose fines or imprisonment for contravening any of the measures declared under the public order emergency.
Taillon said it's not clear that the bar for invoking the Emergencies Act has been met. That law, he said, can be invoked when provinces are unable to solve an emergency and the normal laws of the country are insufficient to address the problem.
And while Trudeau's decision to use the emergencies law will open him up to political criticism, the courts will likely side with the government because they have generally ruled that it's up to politicians to decide what constitutes an emergency, Taillon added.
Ian McKay, chair of the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History at McMaster University, said Canada has never really grappled with the legacy of the War Measures Act and he worries about the use of the Emergencies Act.
The use of the War Measures Act was supported by most Canadians, McKay said. After it was lifted, he added, the RCMP continued to target Quebec nationalists, burning down a barn, engaging in illegal wiretaps and committing other civil liberties violations.
"I think there's a strong tendency in Canada to allow the state to do this sort of thing and never fully account for it," McKay said. "And then, maybe, after a half-century, we issue some formal apologies."
"There's a real reluctance in Canada to face this history of the state acting in an exceptional situation."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.
———
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
My Pillow's Mike Lindell barred from entering Canada to support convoy protestors
OTTAWA – My Pillow CEO and staunch Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell, as well as a truck full of “10,000 pillows,” were denied entry into Canada Tuesday evening while trying to join Ottawa Freedom Convoy protesters, National Post has learned.
Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, outside the White House, January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott
A senior government source said that Lindell, as well an accompanying videographer, were intercepted at the Port Huron-Sarnia border crossing on Tuesday evening as they were enroute to Ottawa to distribute “pillows and Bibles” to convoy protestors.
On the same day, a My Pillow truck carrying “over 10,000 pillows,” including 1,000 “Bible pillows” destined for the truckers’ children was also intercepted trying to cross the border through the Ambassador Bridge leading to Windsor, ON.
According to the senior government source, Lindell was turned back because he was not fully vaccinated and did not have a negative PCR test in hand.
The source said that truck was also denied entry into Canada because the U.S. trucker did not have a valid pre-arrival PCR test.
A truck filled with 10,000 My Pillows progress towards Canada was documented by Right Side Broadcasting Network (RBSN), an American right-wing media company
National Post granted the source anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss this issue publicly.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) caught wind of the prominent Trump supporter and U.S. election fraud conspiracy theorist through social media posts just before his arrival, the source noted.
Current Canadian border rules demand that foreign visitors have at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses and show a negative molecular COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of arrival in Canada in order to enter the country.
Lindell is a staunch supporter of former Republican U.S. president Donald Trump and a prolific advocate of conspiracy theories claiming that the last U.S. election was “stolen” in favour of Democratic President Joe Biden.
He has repeated false claims that voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems rigged the election for Biden and that Trump should be reinstated as president.
In a video posted on his Facebook page Tuesday, Lindell described the Canadian trucker protests as “so important” and claimed that they were the reason provinces such as Ontario had begun lifting COVID-19 public health restrictions.
“They can’t stop because they’ve got to completely get their freedoms back,” he said.
The source says Lindell is one of “dozens” of Americans who have been turned away at the border under current COVID-19 rules while trying to join trucker convoys across the country.
My Pillow did not immediately respond to requests for comment or explain the quantity of pillows, which vastly outnumbers any estimate of the number of protesters in Ottawa.
In a video posted online Tuesday evening, Lindell is seen ranting against Canadian border officials after the truck was turned away.
“We’ve been on we’ve been trying to get my trucks into Canada… we’ve been trying to get to Ottawa,” Lindell said in a video posted to his media website Frank.
“(The trucker) has been waiting on this permit that they made up out of the blue, this new permit thing,” he said.
But their work was abruptly interrupted when they were also stopped and detained while trying to cross the Ambassador Bridge, RBSN said in a statement on social media.
“RBSN’s film crew was temporarily detained at the Canadian border on Tuesday evening and was released shortly thereafter,” reads the statement.
“RBSN had hoped to continue coverage of My Pillow’s pillow distribution to the Freedom Convoy of truckers,” reads the statement. “However, they were denied entry to Canada due to Covid-19 protocols and returned to the United States.”
In an interview with CBC, Lindell denied he was blocked at the border. CBC also said they had government sources confirming he was there.
A spokesperson for CBSA neither confirmed nor denied that it had stopped Lindell at the border, citing privacy legislation.
“What I can tell you is that all travellers seeking entry to Canada are subject to strict screening measures by CBSA border services officers to ensure travellers are eligible to enter the country and understand their public health obligations,” senior spokesperson Patrick Mahaffy said in an email.
“All foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, must meet all entry requirements as set out in the Orders in Council related to COVID-19, before being authorized to enter Canada,” he added.
