(Ottawa) In addition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seven federal ministers appear on the list of witnesses called before the public inquiry into the unprecedented use of Emergency Measures Act.
Posted at 12:25 p.m.
The leaders of the convoy of demonstrators who paralyzed downtown Ottawa last winter, including Pat King and Tamara Lich, are also expected before the Commission on the state of emergency, whose hearings are scheduled to begin Thursday. These hearings are expected to last six weeks.
In addition to elected officials and protesters, the star witness list also includes the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, a national security adviser and several City of Ottawa officials.
The federal Liberal government invoked the Emergency Measures Act on February 14, granting temporary extraordinary powers to police forces to expel demonstrators and move the heavy trucks that were paralyzing downtown Ottawa. The law also allowed banks to freeze the accounts of certain protesters.
The Emergency Measures Act requires the holding of a public inquiry in order to analyze the government’s decision-making process each time it is invoked.
The commission must provide a final report with its findings and recommendations to the federal government by February 20.