Ottawa knew most protesters had ‘weak connection to the cause’ days before it invoked Emergencies Act

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Ottawa knew most protesters had ‘weak connection to the cause’ days before it invoked Emergencies Act
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Days before invoking the Emergencies Act, Ottawa heard that very few “Freedom Convoy” protesters felt strongly about the movement’s cause, and leaders might have been encouraged to leave.

Police move protesters from the intersection of Sussex and Rideau streets on Feb. 18, 2022.

That’s according to the minutes of an incident response group meeting that took place on Feb. 10, four days before Ottawa invoked the emergency powers. On Monday, the minutes were submitted to the Public Order Emergency Commission as evidence and released publicly. Those in attendance at the meeting included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and other federal cabinet ministers.

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