Hot tubs, hapless police: What drove Trudeau to seek emergency powers

Discussions on invoking the rarely used powers first began on Thursday as the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a key US-Canada trade artery between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, entered its third

Frustration with the failure of Canadian police to lift blockades at the border and in the capital, along with scenes of protesters lounging in hot tubs near Parliament, ultimately drove Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to seek emergency powers, three sources said on Tuesday.

Trudeau on Monday invoked the little-used Emergencies Act, signaling the federal government was taking control of a situation local and provincial police have struggled to resolve as protests against pandemic restrictions dragged on.

Discussions on invoking the rarely used powers first began on Thursday as the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a key U.S.-Canada trade artery between