Apr 23, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2219 Paid<\/p>\n\n\n\n Public Safety Canada Deputy Minister Tricia Geddes recently told an international audience that alternative media was a top concern for the Liberal government and lauded the use of the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful Freedom Convoy protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Geddes was in Stockholm, Sweden, to give a speech<\/a> at the International Institute for Strategic Studies\u2019 conference called Threats and Responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You won\u2019t find stories like this in legacy media. Become a Juno News premium subscriber today to support bold, fearless independent journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the panel discussion, she also lauded the utility of the Emergencies Act, and how it has helped her government deal with \u201cextremists\u201d, but that there is \u201clow trust in Canada in many of our government institutions and that\u2019s something we need to build foundationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the federal level, Canada\u2019s priorities include concern with our relative vulnerability to information manipulation and polarizing narratives, and the growing skepticism of younger Canadians towards democracy, who shape their world online through alternative media,\u201d she said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForeign adversaries are seeking to leverage this vulnerability to their advantage. Protecting democratic institutions and the public by strengthening intelligence collection and information sharing across all levels of government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read full story<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what legal framework Ottawa was equipped with on the issue, Geddes said that the Carney government was \u201creally struggling with the speed of moving legislative reform,\u201d adding that they\u2019ve been trying for eight years, and through multiple Parliaments, to get new online regulations passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve suffered through prorogations and changes in governments and haven\u2019t been able to get across the finish line. So that\u2019s a bit frustrating and challenging for us,\u201d she said. \u201cThe technology and privacy debate is what is sort of the most acutely difficult legislative conversation in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it was under former prime minister Justin Trudeau that Parliament was prorogued, which lasted for several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Geddes then went on to note how the Liberals have found \u201ca lot of old legislation is proving to be extremely useful right now,\u201d citing her government\u2019s invocation of the Emergencies Act<\/em> as a highly effective tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the deputy minister, while the Emergencies Act<\/em> was created \u201cmany decades ago for different circumstances,\u201d it has still proved to \u201cgive us the types of authorities that we need in extremists. So that\u2019s helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Emergencies Act<\/em> was invoked for the first time during the 2022 Convoy protest against government mandates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic to quash peaceful protestors from demonstrating in Ottawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Geddes failed to mention is that at the beginning of the year, the Federal Court of Appeals upheld<\/a> a January 2024 Federal Court decision that the federal government\u2019s invocation of the Emergencies Act<\/em> was \u201cunreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice Richard Mosley\u2019s earlier ruling had declared<\/a> the Act\u2019s<\/em> economic and emergency measures violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jan 16<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read full story<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On March 27, the final day of the Supreme Court\u2019s deadline for appeal, the federal government then filed an appeal challenging the federal court\u2019s landmark ruling, reopening litigation on its use of the Emergencies Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Geddes added that it has been \u201cvery difficult to get Canadians to understand the imminence of the terrorism threat in Canada,\u201d which has made it difficult for the government to make any reforms, but now the population wants to meet the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe try to take advantage of the way Canadians have decided that there is a need to stand up for themselves at this moment and that is an area where we can tap into,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Alternative media” a “top concern”: Public Safety Deputy Minister “Alternative media” a “top concern”: Public Safety Deputy Minister Public Safety Canada Deputy Minister Tricia Geddes also lauded the government’s use of the Emergencies Act against “extremists.” Quinn Patrick Apr 23, … Continue reading ![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!zQI3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7da7d22-fcca-40fe-9a5c-7156c6430c36_1200x630.png\")
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