Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the federal Emergencies Act is not needed in the province.
He said that while the illegal blockades in parts of the country must end, police have sufficient tools to enforce the law.
“Therefore, Saskatchewan does not support the Trudeau government invoking the Emergencies Act,” Moe posted Monday on Twitter.
“If the federal government does proceed with this measure, I would hope it would only be invoked in provinces that request it, as the legislation allows.”
Trudeau spoke with premiers Monday about potentially invoking the act — which allows a government to invoke temporary measures including barring people from gathering or travelling to certain locations — as convoy protesters remain encamped in Ottawa.
Quebec Premier François Legault has also come out against the act being applied in his province.
The premiers of Alberta and Manitoba have also said the added powers are not needed in their provinces.
The federal government has never used the Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in 1988. The War Measures Act was only used three times, including during the FLQ crisis in October 1970 in Quebec — which allowed Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government to suspend civil liberties.
The Emergencies Act is more limited in scope, though. All measures invoked under it comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
— with files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly and The Canadian Press
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