Sask. NDP blasts use of Emergencies Act

In a rare moment of unity, the Saskatchewan NDP took the same stance of many conservative politicians on Wednesday, by disapproving Ottawa’s use of the Emergencies Act.

“We don’t need the Emergencies Act to be invoked in Saskatchewan. We’ve seen our provincial law enforcement step up and coordinate well to manage the risks from convoys and other associated protests. Existing tools were utilized to bring these protests to an end. We need to ensure that police and other agencies working to keep people safe are adequately resourced to do their jobs,” said NDP deputy leader and justice critic Nicole Sarauer.

However, Sarauer also took the opportunity to once again ask Premier Scott Moe to scrap Bill 70, which if dropped, would allow security at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building to remain in the hands of the Sergeant-at-Arms.

“It is a bit rich for a Premier who wants to set up his own private security force for the Legislature, who has tried to interfere with law enforcement in the past, to now be saying to trust police to do their job. If he really believes what he’s saying, and that those already doing the work on the ground should be trusted, he should scrap Bill 70 and allow security at the legislature to remain in the hands of the independent Sergeant-at-Arms who have again stepped up to show how prepared they are to protect the public,” Sarauer said.

Sarauer also stated that what took place in Ottawa was no doubt a crisis, adding questions need to be asked.

She said it needs to be known why Ottawa police were unable to manage the siege seen in downtown.

Sarauer also said it needs to be made public as to why the federal government did not take a more regional approach to addressing the emergency in Ottawa.

Later in the day Wednesday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that they were revoking the Emergencies Act.

Following the announcement by Trudeau, Sarauer responded with another statement.

“Democracy is fragile and only works when we are united in protecting those democratic ideals and institutions. It’s important to remember that this first use of the Emergencies Act is precedent-setting and will have implications moving forward. We have a duty to not only examine the current circumstances but also to examine the potential future circumstances of this legislation,” she said as part of the statement.

Sarauer added that here in Saskatchewan law enforcement had the tools necessary to address illegal actions that stemmed from these protests, which is why the NDP did not support the Emergencies Act for Saskatchewan.