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Wilson, an attorney with the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms who is representing some of the march organizers, claimed during testimony this week that the march was regularly fueled for police operations during the three-week protest.
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Interim Police Chief Steve Bell confirmed Thursday that the force had launched an internal investigation into Wilson’s allegations. “As Interim Chief Bell indicated this is new information, it is currently our Professional Standards Unit that is investigating,” Ottawa police said in an emailed statement Friday. “They have been in contact with Mr Wilson following his deposition this week.” A spokeswoman said the Ottawa Police Service “takes allegations of this nature very seriously and we encourage anyone with information to contact us.”
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Wilson made the claims during testimony Wednesday before the Public Order Emergency Committee, which was convened to assess the federal government’s invocation of emergency law during the weeklong demonstration earlier this year. Bell told a separate parliamentary committee Thursday that Ottawa police began their investigation Wednesday afternoon after “clear new information” contained in Wilson’s deposition. Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrick said during the same commission meeting that “there is no ongoing investigation at this time” into possible leaks from the OPP. Wilson had described a “steady stream of information and leaks” coming from Ottawa police officers, OPP, RCMP and other security agencies. An RCMP spokeswoman on Friday noted that RCMP officials will appear before the Public Order Emergency Commission inquiry in November. RCMP officials “will refrain from commenting on testimony or issues related to the Freedom Convoy until then in order to respect the investigation and its process,” the RCMP said via email Friday. with files from the Canadian Press
