The unusual measures are being taken to facilitate the handling of the corona protests in Ottawa, which have resulted in closed border crossings and a city that is completely at a standstill.
- The blockades are damaging our economy and are a danger to the public.
We can not, and will not, let these illegal and dangerous activities continue, the Prime Minister said during a press conference on Monday night.
The exemption laws will apply for a limited period of time and in only a few individual regions.
The announcement comes after the border bridge between Detroit in the USA and Windsdor in Canada could be opened.
Justin Trudeau emphasized that the government sees the measures as a final solution to the three-week truck blockades.
The Canadian military will not be called in to disperse the protests.
Truck protests
For more than two weeks, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of protesters in trucks and other vehicles have blocked the streets of Ottawa and blocked border crossings in protest of, among other things, the vaccine requirements that apply to Canadian truck drivers.
In recent days, Trudeau has said "all options are on the table" to stop the protests, including invoking emergency laws, which give the government broad powers to restore order.
Weapon fittings
The decision also comes at a time when Canadian police are announcing that a large number of weapons have been seized in Alberta, in connection with a protest against the pandemic restrictions.
The weapons were found in trucks, near the US border in southern Alberta.
11 people have been arrested in connection with the find.