Justin Trudeau
Justin TrudeauREUTERS/Patrick Doyle

The Canadian parliament voted Monday to approve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke emergency powers to crush non-violent protests in Ottawa against his government’s COVID restrictions.

Lawmakers voted 185 to 151 in favor of Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, with Trudeau’s Liberal Party gaining a majority with the support of the New Democrats.

Trudeau invoked the 1988 Emergencies Act last week, claiming authorities required it to empower them to forcibly end the Freedom Convoy protests which had shut down parts of downtown Ottawa for three weeks, and blocked land crossings to the US – including some primary trade routes – for six days.

Ahead of the parliament vote, Trudeau told reporters he still needed the emergency powers, citing “real concerns” over threats in the coming days.

"This state of emergency is not over. There continue to be real concerns about the coming days.”

Over the weekend, police completed the crackdown on protesters in Ottawa, racking up 191 arrests and dispersing crowds of demonstrators with pepper spray and stun grenades.