OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a judicial inquiry Friday that he invoked extraordinary powers to end a weekslong protest earlier this year over Covid-19 mandates because local police lost control of the demonstration and key U.S.-Canada trade routes needed to remain open.
The prime minister testified at the end of a 31-day inquiry that seeks to determine whether the Canadian leader was justified in invoking emergency powers last February to end the demonstrations. Canada’s emergency-power legislation automatically triggers an independent inquiry following the use of such powers.
