The public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act ended Friday with Commissioner Paul Rouleau’s mammoth five-volume report that found Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met the threshold to invoke the act. CTVNews.ca has a full transcript of his statement.
The public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act ended Friday with Commissioner Paul Rouleau’s mammoth five-volume report that foundWhile the prime minister met the bar for invoking wide-sweeping powers to address protests in Ottawa, and at key Canada-U.S.
The Commission was directed to examine and report on the circumstances that led to the declaration of a public order emergency, and the measures taken by the government for dealing with the emergency. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of too many people to name, I am proud to say that we have carried out the important task assigned to us by Parliament, we’ve produced a thorough and comprehensive report, and we have met the deadline set by the statute.
The witnesses who testified included organizers of the convoy, citizens affected by the protests, police, public servants, and elected officials at the municipal and federal levels. Even the Prime Minister testified, providing his own account of the events in question. Approximately 28,000 documents were disclosed to the parties who participated in the hearings, and approximately 9,000 of those were introduced into evidence.
Some will want my report to make findings or conclusions about COVID itself, or the correctness of how government responded to it. Those people may be disappointed. These individuals organized, mobilized and became what would come to be known as the “Freedom Convoy” movement.The ability of individuals and groups to publicly voice their dissent enriches and empowers our democracy.
They wished to exercise their fundamental right to express their political views, and they had a right to do so. These protests were also diverse. They ranged from peaceful marches to blockades of critical infrastructure. In my view, the role and focus of a commission of inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act will depend, to a certain extent, on the context in which the Act is invoked.
While nothing in my report is in any sense binding on the courts that may hear legal challenges to the use of the Act, I have decided to set out my own views on the invocation of the Act, and the measures taken under it. It is only in truly rare instances, when the state reasonably believes that it cannot otherwise fulfill its fundamental obligation to ensure the safety and security of people and property, that resort to emergency measures will be appropriate.
Some of the missteps may have been small, but others were significant. Taken together, they contributed to a situation that spun out of control.Preparing for and responding to situations of threat and urgency in a federal system requires governments at all levels, and those who lead them, to rise above politics and collaborate for the common good.
I also discuss aspects of the Emergency Measures Regulations that caused me concern, including the vagueness of its provisions related to securing of places, and its potential impact on freedom of the press. Although the Emergencies Act is often referred to as a replacement for the War Measures Act, it is in fact a very different statute.
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