 Bonjour tout le monde. Hello everyone. Je suis accompagné aujourd'hui de la vice-première ministre Freeland et des ministres La Metis, Mendocino et Blair. These past weeks have been incredibly difficult for the people of our capital city, and they've been stressful and disturbing for all Canadians. The situation is not anything anyone wanted, and quite frankly, not anything we'd want to see again. Lundi dernier, après avoir consulté les provinces et les territoires, le gouvernement fédéral a invoqué la loi sur les mesures d'urgence. Mardi, le postfrontalier de Coutts en Alberta a été ouvert, et mercredi, le barrage à Emerson au Manitoba a été élevé. Aujourd'hui, les familles et les travailleurs d'Ottawa sont en voie de retrouver leurs quartiers et leurs libertés. I want to take a moment to thank the law enforcement agencies from across the country who joined the operations. And I want to continue to thank them as they ensure that, among other things, Canada's border crossings remain open, including in Windsor, and that all communities are safe. We didn't want to use the Emergencies Act. It's never something to turn to without serious consideration. But after weeks of dangerous and unlawful activities, after weeks of people being harassed in their neighborhoods and small businesses forced to close, after billions of dollars were stalled in trade, putting people's jobs and livelihoods at risk, after the National War Memorial was desecrated, after evidence of increased ideologically motivated violent extremism activity across the country, after a flood of misinformation and disinformation washed over Canada, including from foreign sources, after these illegal blockades and occupations received disturbing amounts of foreign funding to destabilize Canada's democracy, it became clear that local and provincial authorities needed more tools to restore order and keep people safe. For the past few days, parliamentarians have been debating the Emergencies Act and will be voting on it tonight. I ask all members of Parliament to take action against illegal blockades and to stand up for public safety and for the freedom of Canadians. Invoking the Emergencies Act has been necessary. Law enforcement agencies relied on it to set up secured areas in downtown Ottawa and at border crossings. It prevented foreign money from continuing to fund illegal blockades and it's making sure our borders remain open. It has been the responsible thing to do. We now have a choice to make as a society. We can choose to keep reliving these scenes that tear at the values that bind us as Canadians, or we can choose to remember who we are and the best vision of what Canada can be. What we've seen in these past weeks is not the story of this pandemic. The story of this pandemic is one of unity and solidarity. The pandemic is the story of health workers who present themselves every day at work, regardless of their fatigue and difficulties waiting for them. It is the story of truckers and frontline workers who are turning our economy. It is the story of children and grandchildren who have remained strong and resilient. We have seen people from all over the country work together and adapt collectively to save lives. We have the highest vaccination rates in the world. We all made sacrifices and yes, it was difficult. 36,000 Canadians were brought in by COVID-19. It was grandparents, parents, children, friends and neighbors. But through all this, we were there, one for the other. Through this pain and heartbreak, Canadians answered the call because Canadians are good people. We're among the world leaders in vaccination and health outcomes, as well as in economic recovery and job creation. It took courage, it took resilience, but we did it together. And despite the many challenges that we faced, our democratic institutions remain strong. We don't always agree and that's okay. In fact, it's not only healthy to have debates in the democracy, it's necessary. Our government will always defend freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. These values are at the core of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They're at the core of who we are as Canadians. In a democracy, you can protest, you can share your opinion at the top of your lungs, you can disagree with elected officials, you can certainly disagree with me. But you can't harass your fellow citizens who disagree with you. You can't hold a city hostage. You can't block a critical trade corridor and deprive people of their jobs. You can't attack journalists for reporting, which is essential to our democracy. What you can do is vote. What you can do is run for office. That's how change happens in a democracy. We're all tired of the pandemic. But it doesn't give us the right to participate in occupations and illegal barrages or to put others in danger. And it's unacceptable to attack a journalist because he does his job or to intimidate people and to break the freedom of the press. There's no doubt that the last few weeks have been challenging, that the last few years have been painful and that there are still challenges ahead of us. But we can't let the anger divide us. More than ever, now is the time to work together. It's also the time to reflect on the kind of future we want for our country. There's a lesson for all of us in what happened this month. We don't know when this pandemic is going to finally end, but that doesn't mean we can't start healing as a nation. And it starts with all of us. If you spend a lot of time online, try looking outside your social media bubble every now and then. If you have a cousin who you haven't seen in a while because they're unvaccinated or because they're vaccinated, give them a call. If a political conversation got heated during a recent gathering and a friend or relative left early, pick up the phone. Not to try to convince them, not to argue, but simply to ask how they're doing. Look, in the heat of the moment, we can all get carried away trying to win an argument. But not every single conversation has to be about winning an argument. Sometimes it's more important to just be there for one another. As a country, let's aim for more decency in our public discourse, not less. Let's cherish the democracy that we have and let's commit ourselves every day to working together to make it even better. Merci.