News Analysis
In his opening statement at the public inquiry into the feds’ use of the Emergencies Act last week, the lawyer representing the Ontario Provincial Police said the OPP didn’t need an emergency declaration to clear the convoy protests. 
Two of the highest-profile convoy protest sites were in the OPP’s jurisdiction: Ottawa, ground zero of the protests, and the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, arguably the costliest of all blockades due to the high volume of goods traded between Canada and the United States over the bridge each day.
While the Ottawa Police Service’s jurisdiction is the nation’s capital, OPP counsel Christopher Diana noted on the opening day of the inquiry on Oct. 13 that the provincial police force played a “leadership role” coordinating resources from different police forces to respond to convoy protest in the city. He also credited the OPP with taking on a “leadership role” in working with the Windsor Police Service and other police forces to clear the Ambassador Bridge blockade, saying it was a “success story.” …