Ottawa’s interim police chief says he did not ask the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act to end the Freedom Pack in February.
The government had indicated that local authorities had demanded additional powers to intervene adequately, which it could offer them by declaring a situation of national crisis.
Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Acting Chief Steve Bell testified before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday to discuss jurisdictional issues that arose during the downtown police operation. He was accompanied by representatives of the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and the Gatineau police.
The Procedure and House Affairs Committee is considering whether the Parliamentary Protective Service should have jurisdiction over Wellington and Sparks streets, in addition to its current oversight of Parliament Hill.
Bell said even if that happens, Ottawa police would still be responsible for enforcing the laws on city streets. Ultimately, if changes to jurisdictions are made, it will be necessary to clarify the limits of responsibility of each police force.
But MPs on the committee wanted to understand who asked the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time since it was passed in 1988.
“We have had discussions with our partners and with elected officials,” explained Mr. Bell. But we have made no concrete request for the Emergencies Act to be applied. »
The law gave law enforcement agencies and financial institutions exceptional powers to freeze the bank accounts of protest organizers, create no-go zones for protesters, expel people from the rally and force businesses from towing to moving trucks.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Brenda Lucki made similar comments last week before another parliamentary committee. She explained that the emergency powers made it easier for the police to put down the protest that lasted for weeks in the streets of Ottawa.
Ms. Lucki also indicated that the RCMP officers would have liked to have had access to these emergency powers sooner.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the same committee in April that the Liberals invoked the law “on the nonpartisan recommendation of law enforcement, who felt that the means at their disposal did not allow them to to restore order”.
Mr. Mendicino also said that the national crisis situation had helped to unite the various police forces and ministries in solving the problem.
The police faced widespread criticism from politicians and the public for their loose and slow response to the start of the protest. Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly resigned on Feb. 16 amid popular outrage.
The SPO was the police force responsible for responding to the convoy. More than six police departments have been involved in the operation to dismantle what has been described as a downtown occupation, with hundreds of protesters blocking the streets with vehicles in protest against COVID-related restrictions. 19, vaccination requirements and the Liberal government.