As of today, Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. Its predecessor, the War Measures Act, was last invoked by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (Justin’s father) in response to Quebec insurrectionists kidnapping the deputy Premier and UK diplomat back in 1970, which is now called the October Crisis. This act limited civil liberties and allowed a full military occupation of city streets, disregarding the need for search warrants and other measures. This resulted in the detainment of around 500 people. This legislation has since been updated (now called the Emergencies Act) but functions quite similar, what we will see in the coming days will be the federal government taking on provincial duties and a possible deployment of the military in response to these blockades (when asked two days ago in a press conference, Trudeau did NOT rule out deploying the military). Under this act will also allow the government to temporarily nationalize key industries, which will probably be private tow trucking companies who have been previously hesitant to get involved. Trudeau has said his intention is to secure airports and border checkpoints and to freeze the assets of those involved in the blockade. I’m extremely skeptical as to how this will unfold, I think violence is inevitable, but let’s hope this flex of state authority does not violate the rights of everyday Canadians.