Trudeau Said He Won't Use A "Federal Hammer" To Force Provincial Borders To Close

Canada's fight against the pandemic has become more difficult in the last few months, but during Justin Trudeau's press conference today, he indicated there was something he wasn't willing to do himself.

Speaking from Rideau Cottage, the prime minister said that he will not force the closure of any provincial borders.

He added that he is "not even contemplating" the idea of bringing in the federal Emergencies Act to do so.

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I'm not looking to bring in a federal hammer to try and do things when we've seen provinces be very effective at doing them themselves. Justin Trudeau

He did note, however, that if provinces decided to do it for themselves, he would support it.

Trudeau cited the example of the Atlantic Bubble, which saw Canada's eastern provinces imposing stricter rules for interprovincial travel.

"They didn't need permission or direction from the federal government to do it," he said. "They just did what worked for them."

The prime minister also noted the measures taken by Canada's northern territories to protect their populations from the virus.

While Trudeau said that he would not be forcing provinces to take any specific measures, he did acknowledge that he would be "adding his voice" to others that have called for action in flattening the curve.