Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dwelled on Friday on the frustration, intense emotions and “pretty tough rhetoric” he says he felt in the weeks leading up to the arrival of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, at the start of its very awaited testimony before the Commission on the state of emergency.
“We had heard some pretty strong rhetoric from many people across the country. It was a reflection, too, of what we had seen during the electoral campaign which had taken place six months before, ”he said immediately, in French.
Mr. Trudeau pointed out in passing that the issue of compulsory vaccination had been paramount.
“So we could see that there was a potential intensity that was there during the election campaign, which we saw a few times during the months that followed and, which we suspected, was perhaps coming to Ottawa for this convoy,” he continued.
He later switched to English as questions were put to him in that language during this very last testimony from the public hearings.
The commission, chaired by Franco-Ontarian judge Paul Rouleau, is looking into the basis of the Trudeau government’s decision to invoke this law of last resort last February to put an end to the demonstrations that paralyzed downtown Montreal. ‘Ottawa.
Participants and supporters of the Freedom Convoy also blocked the Ambassador Bridge linking Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, in the US state of Michigan, but the way was cleared by a police operation before the emergency powers of emergency are decreed by the federal government.
Mr. Trudeau is called upon to explain on Friday how he came to the conclusion that the state of emergency threshold required to use the law enacted in 1988 had been reached. The piece of legislation specifies that the situation must culminate in a national crisis involving threats to the security of Canada, such as espionage and sabotage activities.
Throughout the week, a skewer of ministers took turns defending the use of this piece of legislation for the first time in the country’s history, but the legal opinions underlying the decision were not disclosed.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland notably made a direct link on Thursday between economic security and that of all of Canada, in the broader sense. The emergency arrangements allowed about 280 bank accounts to be frozen in an effort to turn off the tap on Freedom Convoy funding.
Senior advisers to Mr. Trudeau, such as his chief of staff Katie Telford, also testified.
Judge Rouleau is due to submit his final report next February, in accordance with provisions included in the Emergency Measures Act. This commission of inquiry was also triggered since it is legally required, as well as a parliamentary review also underway.
With information from Michel Saba, Stephanie Taylor and Lee Berthiaume