The federal government’s undersecretary for emergency preparedness said Friday that the Trudeau cabinet had been presented with an ever-expanding menu of options in the face of growing Freedom Convoy protests blocking the streets of Ottawa and border crossings last winter.
Jacqueline Bogden testifies Friday before the Commission on the state of emergency, which examines the events and the various opinions which led the Liberal government to invoke the Emergency Measures Act last February.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet for Emergency Preparedness in the Privy Council Office, Mr.me Bogden said Friday that once it became clear that the protesters had no intention of leaving downtown Ottawa, several ministers met to consider what tools the federal government could offer. to end blockages.
She explained that over time, and as the disruptions worsened, deputy ministers across the country were tasked with considering different options, within federal jurisdiction, to end the protests. .
Janice Charette, Clerk of the Privy Council, and her assistant Nathalie Drouin are also scheduled to testify later Friday. Mme Charette, Canada’s highest civil servant, is mandated to advise the Prime Minister in a non-partisan manner.
The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, nearly three weeks after Freedom Convoy protests began that swept through downtown Ottawa and blocked border crossings.
Security officials and federal ministers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are expected to testify next week at the hearings of the commission, chaired by Justice Paul Rouleau.
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