Emergency Measures Act: start of hearings of the Commission of Inquiry

It is today, in Ottawa, that the hearings of the Public Inquiry into the invocation of the Emergency Measures Act by the Trudeau government begin during the demonstrations linked to the « freedom convoy ».

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and seven other ministers, including those of Justice and Public Security, will have to explain themselves to Commissioner Paul S. Rouleau.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, who had to explain at length why the government had asked financial institutions to freeze bank accounts linked to the convoy, will also appear.

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Also arrested are the heads of the Ottawa police, including the one who was at the heart of the storm, former chief Peter Sloly, who had left his post in the face of mounting criticism.

A handful of people perceived to be spokespersons for the demonstrators will also parade in front of the commissioner.

The federal government invoked the Emergency Measures Act on February 14 to put an end to the demonstrations that had paralyzed the heart of the City of Ottawa and its Parliament Hill for more than two weeks.

Commissioner Rouleau will have to produce a final report no later than February 20, approximately one year after the end of the historic event.

The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry is a step required by the Emergency Measures Act. This is the first time the law has been invoked since it was reformed by Brian Mulroney’s government.

In its former life, it was called the War Measures Act and was used by the government of Pierre-Eliott Trudeau during the infamous episode of October 1970.