>> One could argue that the invocation of the Emergencies Act in Canada (in response to protests against COVID safety measures) resembles martial law

> I'd agree with this characterisation.

I consider it an occupation of the capital. If re-establishing public order by forcing lawbreakers to leave is martial law, then so be it. It needed to happen.

There have been successful long-running protests in Ottawa in the past, including encampments outside the national legislature, without any hard response. Sticking dozens or hundreds of trucks belching diesel fuels and blaring horns in the central part of the national capital for a month, and preventing police from keeping order, goes beyond any normal protest.