Four days before the federal government announced it had invoked the Emergencies Act to clear convoy protests in February, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet were informed that the lead negotiator of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the leaders of the protest could be potentially persuaded to leave in exchange for a commitment from the government to “register their message,” an internal government document shows.
Throughout the protest, Trudeau and his government refused to meet or send representatives to dialogue with the protesters.
“The [OPP] negotiator suggested that the leaders of the protest could potentially be encouraged to leave and denounce the blockade in exchange for a commitment to register their message with the Government,” reads a document capturing the minutes of a Feb. 10 meeting in response to the protests with Trudeau, his cabinet, and high-level public servants present….