Category: Emergencies Act Inquiry

Border Blockades’ Limited Duration Had Little Trade Impact, Says Finance Official

The cross-country border blockades of last winter to protest COVID-19 restrictions had a limited impact on trade, a senior finance department official told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 17. “I think that it’s fair to say that the economic impact was limited, but it was limited because the duration of the blockades was…


Border Agency Saw Cross-Country Protests as Low Risk, but Increased Threat Language as Emergency Was Declared

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) assessed the threat posed by the cross-country protests and blockades as “low” throughout last winter’s events, its former president told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 16. But at the time the Liberal government was invoking the Emergencies Act on the afternoon of Feb. 14 to deal with…


Trudeau’s National Security Adviser Asked RCMP for Convoy Threat Assessment Hours Before Emergencies Act Invoked

Just hours before cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser sent an email to the RCMP asking for a Freedom Convoy threat assessment and called the protesters “a threat to democracy.” The email was tabled with the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) on Nov. 15. The ongoing public inquiry is…


Convoy-Related Protests Were Not a National Security Threat, Says RCMP Commissioner

The cross-country protests and blockades of last winter demanding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions were not a national security threat, according to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. “There was some snippets of information on open source, and that came through intelligence—things that were similar to the storming of the Parliament—but none of it manifested itself, so…


Cabinet Knew of Police Plan to Clear Ottawa Convoy Protest Day Before Invoking Emergencies Act, Says RCMP Commissioner

The Liberal cabinet was told on the eve of invoking the Emergencies Act that police had a plan to clear the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki testified at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 15. The information was revealed after negotiations between parties at the commission, since cabinet deliberations are…


RCMP Commissioner Says She Received No Political Pressure to Deal With Freedom Convoy

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 15 that she received no pressure from politicians or senior officials to take action to deal with the Freedom Convoy protest of last winter. “Absolutely not. I didn’t feel the pressure from our point of view because we weren’t the police of jurisdiction,…


CSIS Director Says Convoy Protests Were at No Point Deemed a National Security Threat Under the Law

The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) will testify at the Emergencies Act inquiry in the coming weeks that his agency did not consider the anti-COVID-19 restrictions’ protests of last winter a national security threat under the legislation that established the agency, according to a summary of his interview conducted earlier with the…


Alberta Purchased Tow Trucks for Coutts Border Protest Before Emergencies Act Invoked: Documents

After difficulty getting tow truck companies to agree to tow rigs at the Coutts border protest in February 2022, the Alberta government ultimately bought towing equipment from Kijiji and the Truck Trader, according to documents. The provincial government ultimately bought $826,000 worth of equipment after various Alberta companies with towing or crane equipment were contacted by…


Discussions With Provinces in Lead-Up to Ottawa Invoking the Emergencies Act Was Deemed Proper Consultation, Says Deputy Minister

A top federal official said on Nov. 14 that discussions Ottawa held with provinces on how to clear convoy protests counted as consultation for the use of Emergencies Act. His comments come amidst claims by some provinces that the federal government had made the decision to invoke the act before consulting with them as required…


Doug Ford Said He Never Liked Vaccine Passports But Did it Anyway: Meeting Notes

Before invoking the Emergencies Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a call with the premiers of provinces and territories on Feb. 14 where several of them said getting rid of COVID-19 restrictions was the path forward and the act would “inflame” the situation, according to handwritten notes of the meeting. While Ontario Premier Doug Ford…