The official launch of the Public Order Emergency Commission this morning kicks off what is expected to be a politically tense six weeks as the inquiry hears from federal government representatives about why they felt they had to invoke the never-used Emergency Act and from those who argue it was a step too far. Invoking the act gave authorities new powers that allowed them to freeze the finances of those associated with blockades and protests, ban travel to protest zones, ban people from bringing minors to illegal gatherings and tow trucks. The launch of the inquiry has seen some of the key players offer sometimes conflicting views on that decision and what happened in Ottawa last winter. Ontario Court of Appeal Judge Paul Rouleau, who was selected to lead the inquiry, began the morning by explaining the commission’s mandate and the challenges it faces. “A panel’s recommendations can be modest or wide-ranging. They can address a range of audiences, including government, public bodies and the private sector,” the commissioner said. “It is also important to understand what commissions of inquiry do not do. They do not make findings of legal liability. They do not determine whether individuals have committed crimes. While investigations seek to uncover the truth, they are not trials. Questions of civil and criminal liability are decided by the courts and not the committees”. WATCHES | Ontario judge says investigations ‘not trials’
As Emergency Act inquiry opens, Ontario judge says inquiries ‘not trials’
On the first day of an inquest into the use of emergency legislation earlier this year to clear Ottawa of protesters, Ontario Court Justice Paul Rouleau says the inquiries are not intended to pass judgment on crimes for anyone involved . The committee will present thousands of documents over the next six weeks as it examines the timeline of events leading up to the invocation of the act, the legal framework of the legislation and the government’s reasoning. Lawyer Paul Champ, who represents a coalition of community associations and business improvement districts in downtown Ottawa, has already seen some of those documents. While he is prohibited from talking about their contents, he said they do not flatter the various levels of government and law enforcement involved. “I think there’s going to be a very disturbing story that’s going to be told,” he said. “I think we’re going to see where some of the balls fall. We’re going to see that there was a lot of disagreement, there was a lot of disagreement and dysfunction between key players. And it’s going to be quite a story.” The opening day saw battle lines forming as lawyers for key players — including the federal government, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Ottawa police and protest organizers — made brief opening remarks. “It is important for Canadians to understand the unprecedented crisis the country faced earlier this year,” said Robert MacKinnon, a lawyer for the federal government, during his time on the podium. Final preparations are made before the start of the Public Order Emergency Committee in Ottawa, October 13, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) “Government witnesses will describe the deliberate step-by-step process in which all available options were carefully considered, leading to the declaration of a public order emergency as a last resort.” A lawyer for the procession’s organizers said the government never met the legal threshold to invoke the act. “In our view there was absolutely no justification for invoking the Emergency Act,” said Brendan Miller. “The government exceeded its jurisdiction both constitutionally and legislatively.”
Sloli’s lawyer blames limited resources and intelligence
Tom Carey, one of Peter Slowley’s three lawyers, said the former chief would provide “first-hand knowledge of how events unfolded”. Sloli resigned in the middle of the Freedom Convoy demonstration as frustrations grew over the way the protest was policed after trucks were allowed to park on city center streets, blocking the capital. “Specifically, it will explain to you the limited resources that the Ottawa Police Service has to deal with a massive occupation. The limited nature of the information that OPS has about what Ottawa would be going after,” Curry said. “He will also tell the commissioner why he signaled on February 7 that there may not be a police-only solution to the occupation.” Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly listens to a reporter’s question at a news conference about updated enforcement measures as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions continues into its second week, in Ottawa, Friday, February 4, 2022. (Justin Tang /The Canadian Press) A lawyer for the Ottawa Police Service said it was “impossible to count” the number of vehicles and crowd participants. “Ottawa police, you will hear, followed this standard procedure that they always work with the protesters and this time, and they were prepared for an event, but not for the event that happened,” said David Migikowski. “The protest became dangerous and the situation became volatile.”
People in Ottawa were “terrified:” lawyer
Another police agency says it was involved with the protesters. “You will hear that the OPP was engaged long before the Freedom Convoy reached the Ontario border,” said Chris Diana, a consultant with the Ontario Provincial Police. “You will hear about the OPP’s intelligence gathering process and how the OPP disseminated information to their police partners and the timing of sharing that information as the convoy moved across Canada.” Champ said his clients are not going to take a stand on the invocation of the emergency law. He said they want to make sure the official record reflects what people in Ottawa experienced during the three weeks when protesters used trucks and other vehicles to block some of the city’s main arteries and neighbourhoods. “I don’t think people really realize how traumatized and frankly terrified the people of Ottawa were,” he said in an interview with the CBC on Wednesday. “Public services were completely disrupted. Ambulances found it difficult to reach the city center. Buses stopped, Para Transpo stopped. Elderly, disabled people were significantly affected. “People were held hostage in their homes. And we want to make sure that story is told.” The protests began in defiance of the federal government’s mandate for vaccines for cross-border truckers. It has since expanded into a movement against broader public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including provincial orders. While the heart of the protest was in Ottawa, blockades at the Canada-US border in Windsor, Ont. and Coutts, Alta. also causing financial concerns.
Trudeau defends decision to invoke emergency law
The commission is the first of its kind in Canada and is a legal requirement under the Emergency Act. Through an order in council, the commission was directed to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration of a state of emergency and consider the following issues:
Escort development and goals and exclusions, leadership, organization and participants. The impact of domestic and foreign funding of protests, including money from crowdsourcing platforms. The impact, role and sources of misinformation and disinformation related to the protests, including the role played by social media. The effects of foreclosures, including their economic impact. And the actions of the police and other responders before and after the statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued to defend his government’s decision to invoke the Emergency Act on February 14, saying it was necessary “to get the situation back under control.” “That’s exactly what we did,” Trudeau said at a news conference Wednesday. “Last winter’s convoy blockades massively disrupted the lives of Ottawa residents, people who rely on supply chains coming across the border. It was something Canadians experienced with real concern, so we moved forward with measures that they should not be taken lightly.” WATCHES | Trudeau says use of emergency law was “necessary”:
Trudeau says use of emergency law was “necessary to restore order” in Ottawa and the country
As the inquiry into Ottawa’s use of emergency legislation to clear protesters is set to begin Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s looking forward to appearing before the committee to answer questions. Hatim Khair, a lawyer with the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms, said he believed the government had not met the legal threshold to invoke the act, making the measures imposed under the law illegal. “The government’s invocation of emergency law is a threat to our very system of government,” he said. The Justice Center for Constitutional Freedom is one of several organizations with a seat on the committee. The stay gives these agencies certain privileges in the investigative process, such as the ability to nominate or cross-examine witnesses. It also means that they are notified in advance of the documents submitted as evidence.
The Commission gains access to high-level documents
While the commission’s eventual recommendations won’t carry much legal weight, Kheir said the witness statements and recorded evidence — combined with the fact that it will be broadcast live daily — will bring clarity to what happened last February. Police enforce security measures against protesters on February 19 in Ottawa. Some of the…
title: “Battle Lines Are Drawn As Emergency Law Inquiry Gets Underway In Ottawa " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Ashley Austin”
The official launch of the Public Order Emergency Commission this morning kicks off what is expected to be a politically tense six weeks as the inquiry hears from federal government representatives about why they felt they had to invoke the never-used Emergency Act and from those who argue it was a step too far. Invoking the act gave authorities new powers that allowed them to freeze the finances of those associated with blockades and protests, ban travel to protest zones, ban people from bringing minors to illegal gatherings and tow trucks. The launch of the inquiry has seen some of the key players offer sometimes conflicting views on that decision and what happened in Ottawa last winter. Ontario Court of Appeal Judge Paul Rouleau, who was selected to lead the inquiry, began the morning by explaining the commission’s mandate and the challenges it faces. “A panel’s recommendations can be modest or wide-ranging. They can address a range of audiences, including government, public bodies and the private sector,” the commissioner said. “It is also important to understand what commissions of inquiry do not do. They do not make findings of legal liability. They do not determine whether individuals have committed crimes. While investigations seek to uncover the truth, they are not trials. Questions of civil and criminal liability are decided by the courts and not the committees”. WATCHES | Ontario judge says investigations ‘not trials’
As Emergency Act inquiry opens, Ontario judge says inquiries ‘not trials’
On the first day of an inquest into the use of emergency legislation earlier this year to clear Ottawa of protesters, Ontario Court Justice Paul Rouleau says the inquiries are not intended to pass judgment on crimes for anyone involved . The committee will present thousands of documents over the next six weeks as it examines the timeline of events leading up to the invocation of the act, the legal framework of the legislation and the government’s reasoning. Lawyer Paul Champ, who represents a coalition of community associations and business improvement districts in downtown Ottawa, has already seen some of those documents. While he is prohibited from talking about their contents, he said they do not flatter the various levels of government and law enforcement involved. “I think there’s going to be a very disturbing story that’s going to be told,” he said. “I think we’re going to see where some of the balls fall. We’re going to see that there was a lot of disagreement, there was a lot of disagreement and dysfunction between key players. And it’s going to be quite a story.” The opening day saw battle lines forming as lawyers for key players — including the federal government, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Ottawa police and protest organizers — made brief opening remarks. “It is important for Canadians to understand the unprecedented crisis the country faced earlier this year,” said Robert MacKinnon, a lawyer for the federal government, during his time on the podium. Final preparations are made before the start of the Public Order Emergency Committee in Ottawa, October 13, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) “Government witnesses will describe the deliberate step-by-step process in which all available options were carefully considered, leading to the declaration of a public order emergency as a last resort.” A lawyer for the procession’s organizers said the government never met the legal threshold to invoke the act. “In our view there was absolutely no justification for invoking the Emergency Act,” said Brendan Miller. “The government exceeded its jurisdiction both constitutionally and legislatively.”
Sloli’s lawyer blames limited resources and intelligence
Tom Carey, one of Peter Slowley’s three lawyers, said the former chief would provide “first-hand knowledge of how events unfolded”. Sloli resigned in the middle of the Freedom Convoy demonstration as frustrations grew over the way the protest was policed after trucks were allowed to park on city center streets, blocking the capital. “Specifically, it will explain to you the limited resources that the Ottawa Police Service has to deal with a massive occupation. The limited nature of the information that OPS has about what Ottawa would be going after,” Curry said. “He will also tell the commissioner why he signaled on February 7 that there may not be a police-only solution to the occupation.” Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly listens to a reporter’s question at a news conference about updated enforcement measures as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions continues into its second week, in Ottawa, Friday, February 4, 2022. (Justin Tang /The Canadian Press) A lawyer for the Ottawa Police Service said it was “impossible to count” the number of vehicles and crowd participants. “Ottawa police, you will hear, followed this standard procedure that they always work with the protesters and this time, and they were prepared for an event, but not for the event that happened,” said David Migikowski. “The protest became dangerous and the situation became volatile.”
People in Ottawa were “terrified:” lawyer
Another police agency says it was involved with the protesters. “You will hear that the OPP was engaged long before the Freedom Convoy reached the Ontario border,” said Chris Diana, a consultant with the Ontario Provincial Police. “You will hear about the OPP’s intelligence gathering process and how the OPP disseminated information to their police partners and the timing of sharing that information as the convoy moved across Canada.” Champ said his clients are not going to take a stand on the invocation of the emergency law. He said they want to make sure the official record reflects what people in Ottawa experienced during the three weeks when protesters used trucks and other vehicles to block some of the city’s main arteries and neighbourhoods. “I don’t think people really realize how traumatized and frankly terrified the people of Ottawa were,” he said in an interview with the CBC on Wednesday. “Public services were completely disrupted. Ambulances found it difficult to reach the city center. Buses stopped, Para Transpo stopped. Elderly, disabled people were significantly affected. “People were held hostage in their homes. And we want to make sure that story is told.” The protests began in defiance of the federal government’s mandate for vaccines for cross-border truckers. It has since expanded into a movement against broader public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including provincial orders. While the heart of the protest was in Ottawa, blockades at the Canada-US border in Windsor, Ont. and Coutts, Alta. also causing financial concerns.
Trudeau defends decision to invoke emergency law
The commission is the first of its kind in Canada and is a legal requirement under the Emergency Act. Through an order in council, the commission was directed to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration of a state of emergency and consider the following issues:
Escort development and goals and exclusions, leadership, organization and participants. The impact of domestic and foreign funding of protests, including money from crowdsourcing platforms. The impact, role and sources of misinformation and disinformation related to the protests, including the role played by social media. The effects of foreclosures, including their economic impact. And the actions of the police and other responders before and after the statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued to defend his government’s decision to invoke the Emergency Act on February 14, saying it was necessary “to get the situation back under control.” “That’s exactly what we did,” Trudeau said at a news conference Wednesday. “Last winter’s convoy blockades massively disrupted the lives of Ottawa residents, people who rely on supply chains coming across the border. It was something Canadians experienced with real concern, so we moved forward with measures that they should not be taken lightly.” WATCHES | Trudeau says use of emergency law was “necessary”:
Trudeau says use of emergency law was “necessary to restore order” in Ottawa and the country
As the inquiry into Ottawa’s use of emergency legislation to clear protesters is set to begin Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s looking forward to appearing before the committee to answer questions. Hatim Khair, a lawyer with the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms, said he believed the government had not met the legal threshold to invoke the act, making the measures imposed under the law illegal. “The government’s invocation of emergency law is a threat to our very system of government,” he said. The Justice Center for Constitutional Freedom is one of several organizations with a seat on the committee. The stay gives these agencies certain privileges in the investigative process, such as the ability to nominate or cross-examine witnesses. It also means that they are notified in advance of the documents submitted as evidence.
The Commission gains access to high-level documents
While the commission’s eventual recommendations won’t carry much legal weight, Kheir said the witness statements and recorded evidence — combined with the fact that it will be broadcast live daily — will bring clarity to what happened last February. Police enforce security measures against protesters on February 19 in Ottawa. Some of the…
