The War Measures Act had previously been used on two war occasions in Canadian history, therefore its use during the October Crisis was one of extreme desperation, eventuating positively. The War Measures’ Act was invoked in August of 1914 to transfer Parliamentary power to the federal cabinet, thus allowing Canada to eliminate corruption, alike with the First World War. The War Measures Act gave powers to the Government and suspended operation of the Canadian Bill of Rights, entailing that all Canadians no longer possessed individual freedoms. As concluded by former Canadian Government worker William Tetley, the regulations proclaimed under the act were prepared and did not exceed provisions found within the criminal code of Canada. The Act
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It also suspends the operation of the Canadian Bill of Rights. I can assure you that the Government is most reluctant to seek such powers, and did so only when it became crystal clear that the situation could not be controlled unless some extraordinary assistance was made available on an urgent basis. The authority contained in the Act will permit Governments to deal effectively with the nebulous yet dangerous challenge to society represented by the terrorist organizations. The criminal law as it stands is simply not adequate to deal with systematic …show more content…
Article 6(5) states that the protection of Canadians given by the Canadian Bill of Rights is disregarded whilst the proclamation was in effect, removing freedom and individuality. By removing civil liberties, numerous Canadians feared for their lives, with 435 out of 497 people incarcerated by police under the Act being found innocuous, thus their arrests were considered abusive. According to former Cabinet Minister Tetley, W. (2014), it is believed that there were four major errors of the War Measures Act regulations. These include too many people being arrested unjustly, individuals should have been able to seek legal help and the misjudged prisoners should have been released faster. Lastly, the public were not entirely informed of the implications of the Act for a month after its invocation, demonstrating political irresponsibility. Nevertheless, these issues were eventually amended in the The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms issued in 1982. Another complication was that the body of murdered Pierre Laporte was found two days after the War Measures Act came into power. This sources a common belief that his untimely death was a directly associable revenge attack from the FLQ to the invocation as a warning to Canadian society. Although it is unknown what circumstances
It also suspends the operation of the Canadian Bill of Rights. I can assure you that the Government is most reluctant to seek such powers, and did so only when it became crystal clear that the situation could not be controlled unless some extraordinary assistance was made available on an urgent basis. The authority contained in the Act will permit Governments to deal effectively with the nebulous yet dangerous challenge to society represented by the terrorist organizations. The criminal law as it stands is simply not adequate to deal with systematic …show more content…
Article 6(5) states that the protection of Canadians given by the Canadian Bill of Rights is disregarded whilst the proclamation was in effect, removing freedom and individuality. By removing civil liberties, numerous Canadians feared for their lives, with 435 out of 497 people incarcerated by police under the Act being found innocuous, thus their arrests were considered abusive. According to former Cabinet Minister Tetley, W. (2014), it is believed that there were four major errors of the War Measures Act regulations. These include too many people being arrested unjustly, individuals should have been able to seek legal help and the misjudged prisoners should have been released faster. Lastly, the public were not entirely informed of the implications of the Act for a month after its invocation, demonstrating political irresponsibility. Nevertheless, these issues were eventually amended in the The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms issued in 1982. Another complication was that the body of murdered Pierre Laporte was found two days after the War Measures Act came into power. This sources a common belief that his untimely death was a directly associable revenge attack from the FLQ to the invocation as a warning to Canadian society. Although it is unknown what circumstances