(Ottawa) Neither Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland nor Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair received a request from law enforcement to invoke the Emergency Measures Act to end the “freedom convoy” in February. Their testimonies contradict that of the Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, and corroborate those of the police forces.
Updated yesterday at 10:51 p.m.
The Conservatives are calling for his resignation for “misleading Canadians”. He said in April that the police had asked the government to invoke the law. He then testified before a joint committee of the House of Commons and the Senate which must determine whether the government was right to acquire extraordinary powers to put an end to the demonstrations. Rather, he says today that he consulted the police.
The Emergency Measures Act had never been invoked since its adoption in 1988 to replace the War Measures Act. Conservative Senator Claude Carignan asked Ms.me Freeland, then to Mr. Blair. The two ministers gave lengthy testimony on Tuesday evening before this committee.
“Did you invoke the Emergency Measures Act on the advice of law enforcement,” the Quebec senator asked the Deputy Prime Minister.
“I have not personally received such advice,” she admitted.
She later said she did not recall discussing a law enforcement request with the Minister of Public Safety, in response to questions from the senator. “Personally, I don’t recall such a discussion,” she said.
“Have you witnessed counseling [des forces de l’ordre] to ask the Emergency Measures Actasked Senator Carignan again to Mr. Blair.
“No sir, frankly I would have been quite surprised if the police had actually made such a policy recommendation or requested such legislative power,” he replied. My conversations with law enforcement — and I’ve had quite a few directly with them — were asking questions about the challenges they were facing. »
Hundreds of trucks paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks in January and February, forcing the closure of several businesses and the Rideau Mall. Others had blocked the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor, Ontario as well as the border crossings at Coutts in Alberta and Emerson in Manitoba.
Police forces were quickly overwhelmed by the scale of these protests against compulsory vaccination and other health measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to invoke the Emergency Measures Act was a “collective decision”, indicated Mme Freeland.
“We did the right thing,” she said.
His testimony gave rise to several heated exchanges. Conservative, Bloc and New Democrat elected officials grew impatient with his evasive answers. Conversely, they congratulated his colleague Bill Blair for his openness.
Mme Freeland avoided answering several questions about the discussions that led to the use of the Emergency Measures Actpointing out that she testified as Minister of Finance even though she also wears the hat of Deputy Prime Minister.
Neither she nor Minister Blair agreed to provide notes taken during the briefings they attended. “I do not take notes in these meetings,” said the Minister of Civil Protection, taking care to specify that they were confidential. His employees don’t take notes, he added to the disbelief of NDP MP Matthew Green.
Opposition parties want the government to lift cabinet secrecy to access documents that could help understand why the government felt the Emergency Measures Act was the only way to end the protests.
Senator Carignan argued that the decision was made hours after police forces successfully cleared the Ambassador Bridge, raising doubt about the historic use of this legislation. “The blocking of this bridge took seven days to dismantle and there was evidence that the demonstrators wanted to return to it,” said Bill Blair.
Lockdowns and protests have cost the Canadian economy millions, insisted the finance minister.
The declaration of emergency was in effect from February 14 to 23. Among other things, it allowed financial institutions to freeze the bank accounts of protesters without judicial review and the police to requisition tractor-trailers to dislodge trucks from the streets of downtown Ottawa.