Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, won approval from the House of Commons to extend the emergency powers, which would allow police to throttle the reemergence of “Freedom Convoy” protests against the Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
The Liberal government won the vote 185-151 with the support of the New Democratic Party.
Outside the House of Commons, the streets around Parliament Hill have been cleared of trucks and protesters, although police still control access to the area.
Trudeau has said from the start that the never-before-used emergency measures would be targeted and temporary. On Monday morning, he told Canadians the state of emergency is not over.
“There continues to be real concerns about the coming days,” he said, “but we will continue to evaluate every single day whether or not it is time and we are able to lift this state of emergency.”
Last week, Mr Trudeau took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the protest, bringing criticism from both the domestic opposition and US conservatives.
Under the act, authorities can declare certain areas as no-go zones. It also allows police to freeze protesters’ personal and corporate bank accounts and compel tow truck companies to haul away vehicles.
Nearly 200 people, including two of the self-proclaimed protest leaders, have been arrested so far.