OTTAWA, Canada — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his decision to invoke emergency powers to quell a trucker convoy protest in February, arguing during public testimony that the move was aimed at staving off the threat of violence.
Speaking Friday at a televised public inquiry into the government’s decision, Trudeau cited the “weaponization” of vehicles by protesters, and what he said was the use of children as human shields. He also said weapons were found at one of the sites, and there were people in the convoy promoting ideologically motivated extremism.
The anti-government protests gridlocked Canada’s capital city and blockaded U.S. border crossings.
