Canada's House of Commons passes Emergency Act motion by a vote of 185 to 151
Ottawa/IBNS: Canada's House of Commons has passed a motion by a vote of 185 to 151 to approve the Emergencies Act, invoked last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end blockades in Ottawa and at several border crossings.
The New Democrats and the minority Liberal government voted in favour.
Trudeau defended his government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act during the news conference on Monday saying the act was not one he and his government took lightly.
"It became clear that local and provincial authorities needed more tools to restore order and keep people safe," he said.
Regulations under the act empowered towing of trucks, banks to freeze accounts of protesters and designate no-go zones for public gatherings, including Parliament Hill.
Although the powers became effective immediately after the Act was invoked, the Liberal government's decision still needed to be approved by the House of Commons within seven days.
The act invoked on Feb 14 reportedly cannot be in force for more than 30 days from the date of it was invoked.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said New Democrats would not hesitate for a second vote if they decide that the act is no longer necessary.
"It's not a blank cheque. We are prepared to pull our support as soon as … the act is no longer needed," Singh said Monday and called on the government to provide regular updates to Members of Parliament (MPs).
"Our support from the beginning has always been reluctant," he said. "We were reluctant because it should have never got to this point."
The passing of this motion reportedly allows the measures of the act to be in place until mid-March at the latest and when requested by the government, the Senate must also vote. if at any point the Senate, House of Commons, or government decide to pull their support, powers granted by the emergencies law could be revoked.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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