The
War Measures Act is a clause in the
Canadian Constitution that allows the government to assume sweeping emergency powers. When the act is evoked, citizens can be arrested and imprisioned without the benefit of trial or even a stated explanation. It essientially creates a period of
martial law in the country.
The act has been evoked three times in Canadian history, once during World War I, once during World War II and once during the October Crisis of 1970.