OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the economic threat to Canada escalated “exponentially” when “Freedom “Convoy” protesters blocked a key trade hub between the United States and Canada in early February.
Freeland, who is also the deputy prime minister, is testifying today at a public inquiry investigating the Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act.
Freeland says Canada was already facing several serious economic threats when thousands of protesters descended on Ottawa in late January to protest COVID−19 restrictions and the Trudeau government.
Those included supply−chain problems, American plans to exclude Canada from electric−vehicle incentives, and the risk of a Russian war in Ukraine….