The different levels of government that were trying to put an end to the demonstrations in Ottawa and at several border crossings last winter were not always on the same wavelength, acknowledged Wednesday Justin Trudeau.
But the Premier believes that the important thing is that in the end, the City of Ottawa and the federal and provincial governments were able to be united, including on the decision to invoke the Federal Measures Act urgently, in order to put an end to the events that had been going on for weeks.
There were “of course” some times during the siege of Ottawa when governments “didn’t work as closely” as one might have hoped, Trudeau admitted. “But the important thing is that we all came together and put Ontarians and Canadians first and resolved the situation,” Trudeau said Wednesday, ahead of the Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa.
The Prime Minister’s comments on Wednesday come as the day before, the Public Inquiry into the Use of the Emergencies Act produced evidence suggesting that about ten days after the convoy arrived in Ottawa, Trudeau didn’t think Ontario Premier Doug Ford was doing his fair share to break the deadlock.
“Doug Ford shirks responsibility for political reasons, as you pointed out,” Trudeau told Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, according to an account of a phone call between the two men on February 8. “He can’t get away with it and we intend to support you on that. »
Mayor Watson, who testified before the inquiry on Tuesday, said he shared Trudeau’s frustration.
A certain chaos
After three days of testimony at the commission, the investigation is beginning to paint a picture of a chaotic response from the police and various levels of government.
This commission of inquiry is planned under the Emergency Measures Act, to determine whether the criteria were met for the government to invoke this emergency law — which had never been done since its adoption in 1988.
This law allowed the government to implement temporary but exceptional powers, including freezing the bank accounts of participants in the convoy and requiring insurance companies to suspend coverage of the vehicles involved.
The Conservative opposition, in particular, argues that the government had not reached the “legal threshold” to invoke the law, and that this was an excessive measure to deal with what was, in essence, a a group of citizens who legally expressed their dissatisfaction with the government.
As the protests continued, the federal government attempted to maintain a constant dialogue between the three levels of government, but Doug Ford’s provincial government never accepted the invitation.
Mr. Ford eventually supported the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act and implemented his own measures. In particular, he declared a state of emergency in the province in an attempt to control both the occupation in Ottawa and the blockades at key border crossings.
” Together “
Monday, before the transcription of the telephone conversation between MM. Trudeau and Watson not be made public, Mr. Ford was with the two men during an announcement in Ottawa. He told reporters he had worked hand in hand with the federal government during the protests in Ottawa.
Trudeau said on Wednesday that there would be many more details to come as the investigation continued, but that for him it was necessary to dwell on what happened to put an end to the events.
“Doug Ford invoked his emergency law. We invoked our emergency law, he said. We put the people of Ontario, the well-being of families, the well-being of our economy ahead of the interests of illegal protesters, and we were happy to be united on that. »
“And as you saw on Monday, we continue to stand united on this, even as we make important economic announcements for Ontario’s future. »