official witness list A public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the emergency law was released by the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) and included the prime minister, key Freedom Convoy organizers, and prominent ministers.
Committee to start publication public hearing On October 13, a total of 65 witnesses, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Attorney General David Lameti, and fleet organizers Tamara Rich, Benjamin Dichter and Chris Barber is listed.
The liberal government invoked the Emergency Act in response to the motorcade protests on Feb. 14, giving police special powers to clear protesters from downtown Ottawa areas and banning motorcade organizers and supporters. gave the bank the power to freeze the accounts of
In April, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the creation of the POEC to investigate the circumstances leading up to the government’s imposition of the Emergency Act, and appointed Judge Paul S. Leroux of the Ontario Court of Appeals as POEC Commissioner.
Commission hearings will be held in Ottawa, beginning with six weeks of factual hearings through November 25.
“At this critical stage, we will shine a light on the events that led to the declaration of the state of public order and morality and fully investigate the reasons for the declaration,” Rouleau said at POEC. release October 11th.
Zexi Li, the plaintiff in the lawsuit against the motorcade organizer, is second on the commission’s list of witnesses. The lawsuit also names Ottawa’s “downtown residents, businesses and workers” as plaintiffs and seeks $306 million in damages.
other witnesses
In addition to Freeland and Rametti, other prominent liberal ministers will testify before the Commission, including Marco Mendicino, Omar Alghabra, Anita Anand, Bill Blair and Dominique LeBlanc.
Former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Srolley, Interim Police Chief Steve Bell and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson will also testify along with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lackey.
Coutts, Alberta Mayor Jim Willett, where demonstrators blocked the Canadian-US border crossing in February in solidarity with a convoy, has been cited as a possible witness.
Upon completion of the trial, the Commission will begin its “policy phase” on November 28, during which it will hold “a series of round-table panel discussions with experts from various fields relevant to the Commission’s mandate.” increase. A panel focused on a “common theme or set of questions” developed in consultation with the Commission’s Research Council.
“I believe that, with the cooperation of all parties concerned, the public hearing will follow a fair and thorough process to present the evidence necessary to enable the Commission to give the public the answers to which it is entitled. We are confident that we will be able to provide a
The Commission will submit a final report containing its findings and recommendations to the House and Senate by February 20, 2023.
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Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.