Canada's government invokes Emergencies Act to try to quell COVID protests

Canada's government invokes¹ Emergencies Act to try to quell² COVID protests

Transcript³

Three weeks after truckers occupied downtown Ottawa, Canada's prime minister invoked⁴ the Emergencies Act. It grants the federal government special powers to address security issues.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Canada's prime minister has invoked emergency powers for the first time in 50 years. Authorities say they need this rarely used authority to remove anti-government protesters blocking streets in downtown Ottawa. Groups demanding an end to all COVID-19 measures have paralyzed parts of the Canadian capital and blocked a number of border crossings with the U.S.

Emma Jacobs has more.

EMMA JACOBS, BYLINE⁵: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his intention in invoking⁶ the Emergencies Act is not to suppress peaceful protests but to restore the freedoms of residents of impacted communities.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU: It is no longer a lawful⁷ protest at a disagreement over government policy. It is now an illegal occupation. It's time for people to go home.

JACOBS: The sounds of honking⁸ trucks and blaring car horns have been the near-constant soundtrack in the neighborhood around Canada's Parliament for more than two weeks. Many who live in Ottawa have criticized police for failing to keep demonstrators in check. Trudeau said the act will give local law enforcement the tools they need. Now the government can compel reluctant tow companies to work with police. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said banks now have the authority to freeze accounts funding the demonstrations⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHRYSTIA FREELAND: If your truck is being used in these illegal blockades, your corporate¹⁰ accounts will be frozen. The insurance on your vehicle will be suspended.

JACOBS: One of the heads of the Ottawa convoy¹¹, also a leader of a far-right political party, said Monday that demonstrators would continue to, quote, "hold the line." Elsewhere in Canada, police managed to clear a border blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Ontario over the weekend. At another blocked border crossing in Coutts, Alberta, police said Monday they had seized more than a dozen guns and, quote, "large quantities of ammunition¹²." They said a small group had intended to attack any law enforcement officers who tried to clear the blockade. This is the first time the Emergencies Act has been invoked since its passage in 1988.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUDEAU: I want to be very clear. The scope of these measures will be time-limited, geographically¹³ targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.

JACOBS: The new measures take effect immediately but must be approved by Parliament within the week.

For NPR News, I'm Emma Jacobs in Montreal.

1 invokes   

v.援引( invoke的第三人称单数 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• The Roundtable statement invokes the principles of the free market system. 企业界圆桌会议的声明援用了自由市场制度的原则。 来自辞典例句
• When no more storage is available, the system invokes a garbage collector. 当没有可用的存贮时，系统就调用无用单元收集程序。 来自辞典例句

2 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

7 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

8 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

12 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

13 geographically   

adv.地理学上，在地理上，地理方面

参考例句：

• Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe. 从地理位置上讲，英国处于欧洲边缘。 来自辞典例句
• All these events, however geographically remote, urgently affected Western financial centers. 所有这些事件，无论发生在地理上如何遥远的地方，都对西方金融中心产生紧迫的影响。 来自名作英译部分