Category: Emergencies Act

Conservative MP Accuses Trudeau of Lying Under Oath at Inquiry

Conservative MP Ryan Williams has alleged that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lied under oath when asked about his previous comments on unvaccinated Canadians while testifying at the public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act. “It is never ok to lie. It is never ok to lie under oath. It is never…


Emergencies Act Inquiry Studies Fundamental Rights and Freedoms at Stake in Protests

The inquiry into the Liberal government’s historic choice to invoke the Emergencies Act to quell weeks-long demonstrations against COVID-19 mandates last winter is now moving into its public policy phase. The Public Order Emergency Commission is expected to hear this week from about 50 experts who will share their perspectives on the use of the…


Peter Stockland: Trudeau Called for Dialogue During Indigenous Rail Blockade, but Assailed Convoy Protesters With Emergencies Act

Commentary Well, at least Prime Minister Trudeau is in a state of calm. Indeed he has, we’re told, achieved an abundance of bliss. “I am absolutely, absolutely serene,” he said on Nov. 25 during his testimony at the Rouleau inquiry into declaration of the Emergencies Act in February. Not just “absolutely serene.” But “absolutely, absolutely.”…


MP Candice Bergen Disputes Media Interpretation of Call With PM Amid Convoy Protest

Some media outlets suggested over the past week that former Conservative interim leader and MP Candice Bergen said one thing in public about dialogue with the Freedom Convoy amid its protests last winter but expressed a different view in a private conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In response, Bergen took to Twitter on Nov….


MP Candice Bergen Criticizes Trudeau’s ‘Mischaracterization’ of Their Phone Call Amid Convoy Protest

Former Conservative interim leader and MP Candice Bergen is criticizing Prime Minster Justin Trudeau for what she said amounts to mischaracterization of a private phone conversation between the two amid the Freedom Convoy protests last winter. An interpretation of the Feb. 3 phone call by Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff, was followed by a…


‘An Amazing Feat’: Emergencies Act Inquiry Wraps up Six Weeks of Hearings

The inquiry probing the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act in response to last winter’s weeks-long “Freedom Convoy” protests has wrapped up its public fact-finding hearings. The Public Order Emergency Commission heard from more than 75 witnesses, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, and introduced more than 7,000 documents into evidence over…


Trudeau Says Threshold to Invoke Emergencies Should Not Be Lower Than for CSIS to Launch an Investigation

The threshold to invoke the Emergencies Act should not be lower than for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to launch a national security investigation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 25. “I would put to you that when invoking the Emergencies Act … the level of thresholds of…


Governor General Supported Shutting Down Convoy’s Online Crowdfunding: Emergencies Act Inquiry

During a phone call in early February with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon voiced her support of the online crowdfunding platform GoFundMe shutting down its Freedom Convoy fundraising campaign, which resulted in most of the $10 million donated being refunded to the original senders. Simon also said she believed the convoy to…


Trudeau Says No Minister or Official Spoke up Against Invoking Emergencies Act

No Liberal minister or federal official spoke out against the invocation of the Emergencies Act during two key meetings where it was discussed, hence creating a consensus for its use, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 25. “My expectation is always, if you have significant disagreements, this is…


Emergencies Act Author Warned Cabinet of ‘Long Term Issues’ Following Its Use on Convoy Protest: Text Messages

Perrin Beatty, a former Conservative defence minister who helped draft the Emergencies Act in the 1980s, told Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in February text messages that he was worried about possible “long term issues” that might follow the federal government’s use of the emergency powers. “I certainly hope that we’ll see an early, non-violent end…