Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. West, we know that the Emergency Measures Act is emergency legislation. I have often described it as heavy artillery in the government's legal arsenal because it has existed for three decades and has never been invoked. The ancestor of the Emergency Measures Act is the War Measures Act, which was invoked for the last time in October 1970 in Quebec in the circumstances we are familiar with. It is therefore a law that is not often used and will be invoked only in extreme cases, in exceptional cases.
In the case that concerns us, the situation that took place last February, the events that occurred should not have occurred, in my opinion. We agree that it made no sense to block Wellington Street in Ottawa. The siege had to be lifted, I agree. However, the situation was still localized in Ottawa. There were also localized events at the Ambassador Bridge, in Coutts, and so on. They were really local situations. The Emergency Measures Act was invoked to respond to demonstrations, situations that were entirely manageable in normal times and that occur so rarely in those precise places. In my opinion, it was not justified. I may be mistaken. That is my opinion.
My question is this. In your opinion, when the Emergency Measures Act is invoked in situations that do not justify it, what are the consequences?
We agree that it is extreme. The Emergency Measures Act had not been invoked in 30 years. The last time we saw it was in October 1970 when it was still the War Measures Act. What is the effect of invoking it if it is not justified, as I suggest?