'Work begins now': Feds outline next steps, rationale for Emergencies Act

With the federal Emergencies Act now invoked, federal ministers say 'the work begins now' to implement it, with a desire to not have another weekend of protests in the nation's capital.

“We now have the tools to do what needs to be done,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told reporters Tuesday following a cabinet meeting. “That work begins now, and we have to continue with that work until we get the job done.”

Not long after, addressing the latest steps—including publishing the declaration of the public order emergency to end the trucker protests and blockades—Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino indicated they’d like to see the occupation ended this week.

“No one wants to see another weekend like the last three on Wellington Street. And I'm assured by my discussions with the police that they fully appreciate that, and we now depend on them to do the job,” he said during a press conference, noting that the RCMP and the OPP are assuming command and control over the enforcement operations in Ottawa.

The federal government declared the public order emergency on Monday out of concern for the demonstrations being carried out alongside threats or acts of “serious violence against persons or property… for the purpose of achieving a political or ideological objective,” as well as a host of other reasons, according to the declaration tabled on Tuesday.