Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice’s decision to vote against the Emergencies Act on Monday has caused much debate on social media.
In a vote on Monday night, 185 MPs voted in favour of the act, while 151 voted against the measure, with the Liberal Party and NDP voting in favour and the Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois voting in opposition.
The Green Party MP was the lone dissenting voice from Waterloo Region although the other four seats are filled by members of the Liberal Party.
Morrice’s vote also opposed Elizabeth May’s vote, the only other Green Party MP in the House of Commons.
The decision to invoke the Emergencies Act puts the never-before-used emergency powers in play after weeks-long demonstrations by the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
Morrice wrote a letter to constituents explaining his decision, which he issued via his Twitter account.
“Today’s vote is not about whether or not the occupation in Ottawa and at our border crossings should have been ended. All parties agree: it had gone on long enough,” he wrote.
“It is also not about the right to protest peacefully – that right still exists and should be protected for all, even those with views different from my own.”
After reeling off a list of all the issues the convoy has caused in Ottawa, including harassment of racialized people and women as well as random acts of violence, Morrice also said some of the protesters were there for a legitimate purpose. He then noted that the leaders of the movement had ties to white supremacists.
Morrice went on to explain that he believed that current measures (if used properly) were available to alleviate the situation rather than to invoke the Emergency Measures Act.
“The powers given by the Emergencies Act are far broader than necessary, and allow for government overreach into legal protest and civil disobedience, which is a critical component of a healthy democracy,” he wrote.
“As many other Parliamentarians have shared, the use of the Emergencies Act sets a worrying precedent for future protests.”
While Ottawa and the border blockades have been cleared, there is a belief that some of the protesters are lurking in outlying communities, waiting to return.
Since being posted on Monday, the Twitter post has received hundreds of reactions both for and against his decision.