Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Justin Trudeau drops emergency declaration over freedom convoy...

Justin Trudeau. New York Post/AP.

Justin Trudeau has dropped emergency powers he had declared over the Freedom Convoy protests. New York Post. The move comes long after the remaining protesters had been removed. The House of Commons had authorized the move but the Senate had not yet voted. The protests were wide ranging and not only paralyzed Ottawa but also blocked several border stations. But the protest was broken up on Friday. 

My Comment:

The big question is why Trudeau would do this now? Indeed, just a couple of days ago Trudeau was demanding that these powers were absolutely necessary, no question about it. But he did a total 180 in just a couple of days? What changed?  

The most obvious possibility is that he figured out that the Senate was going to pull his authority anyways. I don't have a count on who was going to vote who and now we never will know. But my guess is that Trudeau was going to lose and thus be embarrassed. So he pulled the powers in anticipation of this. 

Another problem was that the banks appear to have been furious with Trudeau. His freezing of bank accounts for people that supported the Freedom Convoy had the predictable effect of a bank run. People did not trust banking accounts anymore even if they hadn't donated. After all, if they can freeze your account for supporting a peaceful convoy they can suspend it for anything. Give to the wrong political candidate? Frozen. Say something critical of the government? Frozen. Know someone in the government who hates you? Frozen. Nobody can trust banking under those conditions. 

This has obviously pissed off the banks and that seems like a huge mistake for Trudeau. Pissing off the major players in the economy, well, let's just say that I wouldn't be surprised if Justin Trudeau pulls a Jeffrey Epstein. It does go to show that you can treat your people like absolute crap and get away with it but if you mess with money you are done. 

What I don't buy is the idea that the Freedom Convoy is no longer a threat. That was always true, the convoy wasn't a threat to anyone other than Canada's Coronavirus policies. Nobody got hurt in the protest other than the protesters. I don't think they are done yet, they are just licking their wounds and regrouping. They have a right to be absolutely furious with Trudeau and his government after his despicable actions. 

What happens now? I am not sure. The convoy appears to be over and there isn't an election in Canada for a while now. I don't know what actions the people who are upset with Trudeau can take. Indeed, I think Canada will be a sideshow now that there is an American version of the Freedom Convoy. 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment