War Measures Act

A federal commission is to report today on the Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act against protests that paralyzed the streets around Parliament Hill and jammed several Canadian border points early last year.

They came to Ottawa by the thousands with different goals and grievances, but united in their disenfranchisement with the federal Liberal government and COVID-19 health restrictions. 

In the late 1980s, as then-defence minister Perrin Beatty was drafting new legislation to replace the controversial War Measures Act, one man’s words were on his mind. The man was Robert Stanfield.

It is important in times of crisis to look to history for solutions. The model of Second World War mobilization in Canada demonstrates the incredible capacity of people and society to change rapidly, to adapt and plan and to successfully navigate and survive crises.