The Ambassador Bridge blockade in Windsor, Ont. and the Coutts, Alta. blockade were both cleared without direct use of the act, according to witness testimony
The RCMP never used the sweeping powers of the federal Emergencies Act to clear protests choking key border crossings in regions where it is the lead police force, evidence presented at the Emergencies Act inquiry shows.
The Mounties had jurisdiction at the border blockades in Coutts, Alta., Emerson, M.B., and at the Pacific Highway blockade in B.C., according to a document produced by the commission. Moreover, Mr. Richards said the act’s invocation “complicated those efforts, and actually delayed this outcome by at least one day.” He added that Manitoba’s justice department didn’t believe that the legal threshold for the federal act had been met.
However, while Commissioner Lucki attended the high-level meetings, which were chaired by the Prime Minister, she did not share her information at the meetings because she didn’t speak at them. Minutes for one of the meetings that day shows Mr. Trudeau said there was no “definitive timeline” for the Ambassador Bridge reopening – in contrast to Commissioner Lucki’s speaking notes.
Evidence presented at the inquiry shows the powers available under the act were used to respond to protests in Ottawa, including to get tow trucks and to freeze bank accounts of protesters without due process.
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