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Emergencies Act

The Emergencies Act was developed to ensure that the Government of Canada can invoke exceptional -- yet incident-specific -- powers to deal with emergencies. It replaced the War Measures Act. The four types of emergencies covered under the Act are:

• Public welfare emergencies
  Severe natural disasters or major accidents affecting public welfare, which are beyond the capacity or authority of a province or territory to handle. 
• Public order emergencies
  Security threats that are beyond the capacity or authority of a province or territory to handle.
• International emergencies
  Intimidation, coercion or the use of serious force or violence that threatens the sovereignty, security or territorial integrity of Canada or any of its allies.
• War emergencies
  War or other armed conflict, real or imminent, involving Canada or any of its allies.

The Emergencies Act guarantees Parliament's right to review and, if necessary, revoke emergency powers. It ensures that the Government is accountable to Parliament for its use of such powers. It also offers full protection for the fundamental rights and freedoms of Canadians during national emergencies.

For more detail, read the Emergencies Act legislation on the Department of Justice website.