Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that “international partners” had expressed concern about the Freedom Convoy protests before the federal government invoked the state of emergency law on February 14.
“Frankly, our international partners have also expressed concern when they see border crossings and sites across the country illegally occupied,” Trudeau said. told reporters in Toronto on November 4th.
Trudeau told ministers two days before activating the emergency powers that “many international partners” had expressed concerns about the government’s ability to “handle” the protests, according to cabinet meeting minutes. Told.
Prime Minister Trudeau said Friday that “many Canadians are concerned” about the impact of the Freedom Convoy on “Canada’s reputation as a country of peace, order and good government.”
“There are so many things that cause instability and difficulty for Canadians,” Trudeau said, adding “security concerns for people across the country” and “direct threats to residents in many parts of the country.” “There was an impact,” he added.
“These are the things Canadians remember from the occupation of the convoy, and this is part of why this investigation into the use of emergency laws we have invoked is so important.”
The Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) Currently under consideration The basis on which the federal government invoked the Emergency Act in February and assessed whether its use was justified.
testimony
Trudeau and several members of his cabinet, including Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Justice Minister David Rametti, are scheduled to testify near the end of the committee. public hearing step.
So far, Ottawa residents, city council members, various police officers and motorcade organizers have testified. RCMP officials, including Commissioner Brenda Lackey, are due to testify shortly.
Trudeau told reporters he was “looking forward” to testifying at the inquiry.
“For Canadians, it is very important to understand what was happening in that moment and why it was the right thing to do, and to invoke the Emergency Act responsibly, in a time-bound and targeted manner. It is important.”
Both the commissioner of the Ontario Police Department (OPP) and the interim chief of the Ottawa Police Department (OPS) are still open to legal avenues to clear protesters from downtown Ottawa when the federal government invokes the emergency law. I testify that it works.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique told the commission on 27 October that he “agreeed” with the sentiments Lucki expressed in an email dated 14 February.
Days before Carrique testified, OPS interim chief Steve Bell said that even without an emergency law, the police were “going to clean up the protests.”
Retired OPP senior officer Carson Pardy also told POEC on October 21 that both the state’s emergency declaration and emergency legislation provided police with “some help” but did not need to end the protest. rice field.
“In my humble opinion, without either of these laws, we would have arrived at the same solution with the plans we had.
Noé Chartier contributed to this report.
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Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.