Category: Public Order Emergency Commission

Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme Becomes Interim Top Mountie as Lucki Retires

The federal government announced Friday that Mike Duheme will be the interim commissioner of the RCMP until a replacement is found for Brenda Lucki. Lucki, who was appointed commissioner in April 2018, is retiring. She had announced her intention to step down last month, shortly before the expiry of her five-year term. Her tenure as…


Inquiry Report Says Misinformation and Disinformation Played Clear Role in Convoy Protests

Social media served as an “accelerant” for the spread of impactful “misinformation and disinformation” during last winter’s protests of COVID-19 restrictions, says the report of the inquiry into the invocation of the Emergencies Act released on Feb. 17. “I have no doubt that misinformation about COVID-19 influenced the views of some protesters and how they…


Anthony Furey: The Emergencies Act Report Is No Glowing Endorsement of Its Use

Commentary Commissioner Paul Rouleau says it was with “reluctance” that he decided the federal Liberal government was justified in its use of the Emergencies Act over a year ago to quash the Freedom Convoy protests. That word really says it all. The idea that the government was right or made the right call or has…


Poilievre Condemns Trudeau Response to Convoy as Divisive, Following Release of Rouleau Report

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau divided Canadians by his speech and actions against the Freedom Convoy, despite Justice Paul Rouleau’s conclusion that the use of the Emergencies Act to clear convoy protests was justifiable. In his press conference in Calgary on Feb. 17, Poilievre didn’t refute Rouleau’s finding, but accused the…


Rouleau Report Addresses Six Questions Raised During Emergencies Act Hearings

Throughout seven weeks of public hearings in Ottawa, the Public Order Emergency Commission heard from more than 100 witnesses and released thousands of pages of documents. This evidence raised many questions about the actions taken by the Liberal government. Here are some key questions Justice Paul Rouleau addressed. Can the commission make a determination without…


Emergencies Act Inquiry to Release Its Report on Feb. 17

The report into the first-time use of the Emergencies Act by the Trudeau government last year will be tabled in Parliament on Feb. 17, the Public Order Emergency Commission has announced. After having presented the report to Parliament, Commissioner Paul Rouleau will read a statement which will be broadcast live on the inquiry’s website. The…


Emergencies Act Inquiry to Release Report on Feb. 17

The report into the first-time use of the Emergencies Act by the Trudeau government last year will be tabled in Parliament on Feb. 17, the Public Order Emergency Commission has announced. After having presented the report to Parliament, Commissioner Paul Rouleau will read a statement which will be broadcast live on the inquiry’s website. The…


Use of Emergencies Act: Privacy Office Studying Banks Giving Protesters’ Info to CSIS and RCMP

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is currently looking into three files pertaining to the Trudeau government invoking the Emergencies Act last winter, including the order telling financial institutions to send information on “designated persons” to security agencies. The Office provided this information in a Jan. 24 brief submitted to the Special Joint Committee…


BMO CEO Addresses Suggestion to Designate Convoy Protesters as ‘Terrorists’ to Freeze Accounts

The CEO of Canadian bank BMO addressed on Jan. 19 the revelation that he had recommended to the finance minister that Freedom Convoy protesters be designated as “terrorists” to facilitate the freezing of their financial accounts last year. “I would never call the convoy protesters terrorists. What was said is that in order for the…


Finance Official Wanted to Shield Banks After Freezing of Convoy Supporters’ Accounts: Emails

The federal deputy finance minister wanted to “keep the heat off the bank branches” after accounts belonging to supporters of the Freedom Convoy movement were frozen, according to internal emails from the finance department. “You should know that there have been threatening activities at certain bank branches,” Michael Sabia wrote to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland…