(OTTAWA) The Rouleau commission investigating the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act during so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests last winter will hear next week from organizers of the demonstration.
Posted at 6:12 p.m.
Among these are Tamara Lich and Pat King.
Keith Wilson, a lawyer representing some major organizers, said his clients are eager to talk about these events and the reasons that brought them to Ottawa.
“They hope that their testimony will convince [la population] that it was not necessary to mention the law on emergency measures, as many already know, ”he said.
M’s namee Wilson has been added to the witness list since that statement.
The federal Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, granting temporary extraordinary powers to police forces to expel protesters and move heavy trucks that were paralyzing downtown Ottawa. The law also allowed banks to freeze the accounts of certain protesters.
The Emergencies Act requires a public inquiry to analyze government decision-making whenever it is invoked.
The commission must provide a final report with its findings and recommendations to the federal government by February 20.
The first organizers called to testify are expected to be Chris Barber and Brigitte Belton.
Like Tamara Lich, Barber was charged with mischief, obstructing police, counseling others to commit mischief, and intimidation. Their trial is expected to begin in September 2023.
During the first hearings of the Rouleau commission, it was possible to learn more about the chaos and confusion reigning within the police hierarchies and the municipal administration of Ottawa at the time of the events.
Residents of the nation’s capital’s downtown core came to tell their stories of the occupation of their neighborhood.