An Okanagan politician says she’ll be voting against the controversial Emergencies Act enacted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week.
Tracy Gray, the Conservative MP for Kelowna-Lake Country, announced her decision on social media on Friday.
Trudeau invoked the act on Monday, saying he was doing so for the public good, stating it would help end border blockades and the so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ that has gripped Ottawa for nearly a month.
In response, many Conservative politicians have been vociferous in opposition to Trudeau’s decision, including Gray.
“I will be voting no on the Emergencies Act,” said Gray. “Blockades have been removed across Canada thanks to the hard work of local law enforcement.
“The blockade in Ottawa is currently being dismantled using existing laws, without the powers needed from the Emergencies Act. Invoking the Emergencies Act to declare a national emergency is unprecedented, and only to be used when the situation is so drastic that no other Canadian law can deal with the situation.
“This threshold has not been met and seven out of the 10 provinces opposed it.”
Gray continued, saying, “Conservatives will not stand by while the Prime Minister uses the strongest emergency powers available to him. The blockades must end, but the government has given no rationale on how our existing laws cannot deal with the blockades in downtown Ottawa.
“If there is a reason why the Act is required, the Prime Minister should clearly explain all the steps the federal government took to try to resolve the situation and why our existing laws are not sufficient.”
Earlier this week, the Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, Frank Caputo, said he’ll also be voting against implementing the Emergency Measures Act.
Meanwhile, Mel Arnold, the Conservative MP for North Okanagan-Shuswap, issued a statement on Friday, saying he’ll be examining whether key thresholds for invoking the act have been met, while also calling Trudeau’s decision disappointing.
Arnold said he voted in support of a Conservative proposal “that presented a reasonable approach to help lower the temperature across Canada by providing Canadians a specific plan and timeline for ending federal mandates and restrictions.”
He said he voted for the proposal “because it embodied the leadership and planning that I believe Canada needs and Canadians want at this critical juncture.”
Arnold then said “rather than working with all 338 Members of Parliament to produce a plan for Canadians, Liberal and NDP members defeated the proposal flat out and the Prime Minister took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act.
“When faced with the choice between leading essential dialogue and enacting unprecedented powers, the Prime Minister chose the latter.”