Tensions escalated Tuesday at the public hearings of the Emergency Commission, as a heated exchange led to the expulsion of a lawyer representing Freedom Convoy organizers.
Brendan Miller, who represents some protest organizers including Tamara Lich, interrupted Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s testimony to ask that the minister’s communications director, Alex Cohen, be called to testify.
Judge Paul Rouleau, the commissioner presiding over the inquest, asked security to remove Mr. Miller from the courtroom after the lawyer interrupted the commissioner and accused him of refusing to rule on similar requests.
“I’m trying to do my job,” Miller told reporters outside the Library and Archives Canada building in Ottawa, where the hearings are being held.
The attorney said he made several requests to call other witnesses and requested that the documents provided by the federal government not be redacted.
“They tried to turn this whole procedure into an investigation into the failures of [l’ancien chef de la police d’Ottawa, Peter] Sloly, rather than invoking the Emergencies Act. And my duty to my clients and my duty as a lawyer is to find out the truth,” he argued.
Tamara Lich, who testified before the commission a few weeks ago, steered Mr. Miller away from reporters.
Ministers’ fears
Earlier, Mr. Mendicino had told the commission that federal ministers were concerned for their personal safety from the start of the Freedom Convoy demonstration in Ottawa, as some protesters had spoken on social media about the possibility of target their residence.
Notes from a ministerial briefing on January 26, before the convoy arrived in Ottawa, indicate that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were aware that protesters were trying to collect the home addresses of MPs, including of the prime minister.
The RCMP were also concerned that the protest could split up to include several locations near the residences of politicians.
Mr. Mendicino told the Rouleau commission on Tuesday that the RCMP had increased personal security around several ministers and Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, because the protests were focused on the restrictions. health related to COVID-19.
Protesters arrived in Ottawa two days later, Friday, January 28, and parked hundreds of vehicles, eventually occupying the capital’s streets for weeks as similar demonstrations blocked border crossings.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, calling the protests a national crisis endangering Canada’s public safety and economic security.
Mr. Mendicino is one of seven federal ministers scheduled to testify this week before the Emergency Commission. The Rouleau commission must determine whether it was justified for the government to invoke the Emergency Measures Act last winter to put an end to the blockades of demonstrators. This emergency law had never been invoked since its adoption in 1988 to replace the War Measures Act.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc is expected to testify later Tuesday. He could be questioned about the concerns of the Prairie provinces, which feel they have not been sufficiently consulted.
Other ministers are expected to appear before the Rouleau commission throughout the week. Prime Minister Trudeau’s testimony is expected on Friday.