Canada 10/3 podcast: Trudeau, cabinet defend use of Emergencies Act — what now?

03:00 03 december 2022

03:00 03 december 2022 Source: nationalpost.com

CSIS head advised Trudeau to invoke Emergencies Act during convoy, inquiry hears

Top intelligence officials are on the witness list this week at the public inquiry scrutinizing Ottawa's use of the Emergencies Act to end 'Freedom Convoy' protests.David Vigneault, the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told the Public Order Emergencies Commission about his advice to the prime minister during a closed-door interview earlier this month, according to an unclassified summary.

Over the course of six weeks of testimony, Canadians heard from police and municipal officials in Ottawa, provincial representatives and even from organizers of the so-called Freedom Convoy that occupied the capital for weeks earlier this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testifies at the Public Order Emergency Commission in Ottawa on Nov. 25, 2022.

This was all building to the appearance by senior members of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, and the PM himself, as they looked to justify the government’s use of the Emergencies Act to dismantle what had become a disruptive protest.

Explainer: Emergencies Act inquiry — what's been said, what happens next

Government ministers are among the final witnesses giving evidence on the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to end the Ottawa convoy protests. Here's a breakdown of the inquiry's mission, the biggest revelations so far, and what will happen next.You can watch the hearings of the Public Order Emergency Commission here. Here's a breakdown of why the inquiry is taking place, the key takeaways so far, and what will happen next.

In the second of a special two-part look at the Emergencies Act inquiry, National Post political reporters Chris Nardi and Ryan Tumilty join the show to discuss how intelligence officials viewed the convoy, how blockades at the border in Alberta and Ontario changed the conversation, and how, ultimately, ministers explained the government’s actions.

Background reading: As Emergencies Act inquiry closes, commissioner says he has the evidence he needs

‘No confidence’ in police plan: Trudeau says he had no alternative to Emergencies Act

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10/3 podcast: Trudeau, cabinet defend use of Emergencies Act — what now? © Provided by The Gazette

Emergencies Act inquiry studies fundamental rights and freedoms at stake in protests .
OTTAWA — The Public Order Emergency Commission has spent six weeks hearing from residents, police, politicians and protesters about what happened last winter, when thousands of people opposed to COVID-19 public health measures took over a portion of the downtown. Though no serious violence was reported, people living in the area said their community descended into lawlessness and they felt threatened by harassment and hazards as protesters insisted they were exercising their right to peaceful assembly.