Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government was justified when invoking an emergency act last year giving extraordinary powers to break up protests where trucks blocked Parliament and border crossings, a judge-led inquiry found Friday.

The finding is key to the legitimacy of Trudeau’s Liberal government, which needs opposition support to pass budgets and avoid a snap election. The report didn't single out freezing the bank accounts of some protesters ordered by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, seen as a future leadership candidate.

“The very high threshold for the invocation of the act was met,” Paul Rouleau said at a press conference in Ottawa, adding the case wasn't “overwhelming.” He faulted a lack of police preparation leading up to and during the protests, which blocked streets around parliament for several weeks and led U.S. President Joe Biden to call Trudeau complaining of stalled auto part shipments to Detroit. (See: MNI INTERVIEW: Bellwether Canada Exporters Are Gloomy Again)