Doug Ford is appealing to the courts to avoid having to answer questions about his handling of the Freedom Convoy protest. After refusing the invitation, the Premier of Ontario is now subpoenaed to appear before the State of Emergency Commission in Ottawa.
” The government [de l’Ontario] will seek judicial review to set aside the subpoena on the basis that the subpoena is inconsistent with parliamentary privilege [de M. Ford et de sa ministre Sylvia Jones] “, explains the press secretary of the Attorney General of Ontario in an email to the To have to.
A letter dated Monday and signed by Commission counsel confirms that an invitation to appear was sent to Doug Ford and a minister in his government, Sylvia Jones, who was Solicitor General of Ontario at the time of the Convoy of freedom.
“It was our hope that Premier Ford and Minister Jones would agree to appear voluntarily before the Commission. However, since all invitations were refused, the Commission issued a subpoena today [lundi] “, can we read.
Absent from Ottawa
The premier of Ontario never showed up in his province’s second largest city during the three-week Freedom Convoy occupation last winter. He also reportedly declined an invitation to join an important meeting about the event, we learned during the Commission hearings last week.
“I believe there was a feeling in the community [de se demander] : “why is the prime minister not here?” “, criticized the outgoing mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, during his own testimony.
According to Mr. Watson, the Ontario government doubted the merits of the plans of the Ottawa Police Service and its chief, Peter Sloly. Ill-prepared, exhausted, and prey to an internal chaos described as an “insurrection”, the municipal police demanded police reinforcements to the tune of 1,800 provincial and federal agents.
In a call between the mayor of Ottawa and the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, the latter hinted that his provincial counterpart was voluntarily keeping away from any involvement in this crisis. “Doug Ford hid from his responsibilities for political reasons,” reads the transcript of the call released by the Commission.
“People in Ottawa felt as if the province, and the Premier [de l’Ontario] did not recognize the seriousness of the crisis”, commented on Monday Paul Champ, the lawyer for citizens and businesses directly affected by the Freedom Convoy.
Plan shared with a consultant
Ottawa’s Deputy Chief of Police during Freedom Convoy was uneasy about hiring private communications firm Navigator during the crisis, reads his pre-interview with attorneys for the Commission.
“Chief Sloly engaged in an open discussion with Navigator which generated ideas on how to pursue police operations, including how the operation is managed and how to communicate it to the public,” reads the summary of the remarks. of Steve Bell, now acting chief of the police department.
The latter says he “expressed concerns” about sharing confidential information with Navigator. Even the mayor of Ottawa said he was not made aware of the police’s operational plans.
Above all, the Rouleau Commission hearings have so far demonstrated the significant internal dissension within the Ottawa police, even among the high command, which was the cause of the defeat of a police operation targeting a Quebec group of opponents of the measures sanitary.
Critics of ex-chief Peter Sloly, for example, would have preferred negotiation and good understanding with the demonstrators, even if they were ultimately targeted by 533 criminal charges, including for crimes related to firearms and violent crimes.
with Etienne Lajoie