Police did not anticipate the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act to end ‘unlawful blockades’ at the nation’s capital and major border crossings, the RCMP chief said on Tuesday. .
Speaking virtually at a meeting of the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki deflected questions from committee members about the need for extraordinary measures to lift the blockades on the so-called “Freedom Convoy”.
Asked by Ontario Senator Peter Harder if the RCMP made invoking emergency measures part of its plan, Lucki replied, “Not at all.”
“It was a very, very unique and fluid situation in Ottawa,” he said, adding that there had been several discussions with government officials in the week leading up to the invocation of the Measures Act. emergency on February 14.
“We are not in a position to … influence the government as to when and where they invoke a certain act. For us, it was about keeping Canadians safe in Ottawa.
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Lucki said the RCMP lifted the border blockades without the powers offered by the legislation, although the Emergencies Act may have motivated some protesters to leave.
“In RCMP jurisdiction, we have successfully used a measured approach and existing legislation to resolve border blockades,” Lucki told the committee.
He also said the RCMP did not ask the federal government to implement the extraordinary measures.
“There was never any question of asking for the Emergencies Act,” Lucki said in response to a question from Ontario Senator Vernon White.
Furthermore, when asked by Tory MPs if the invocation of the law was necessary and if the lockdowns could not be solved by any other existing law in the country, Lucki said he could not answer if the threshold was hit.
“It’s not for me to comment,” he said.
On February 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act to end blockades that had taken over streets in the capital and major border crossings in Ontario, in Alberta and British Columbia to protest COVID-19 restrictions. vaccination mandates and Liberal government.
The law was repealed after 10 days in which police cracked down to evict hundreds of protesters who had camped in the nation’s capital for three weeks.
The Liberal government has repeatedly justified the use of the Emergencies Act, but Trudeau called the decision a decision that should never be a first resort.
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At the time, Trudeau pointed to the economic impact on Canada’s trade at the border as one of the justifications for invoking the Act.
However, an analysis of data from Statistics Canada’s Global News found that the border lockdown had little effect on trade.
The invocation of the Emergencies Act has come under scrutiny, with opposition MPs criticizing the move and the way the legislation has been implemented.
Speaking in question period on Monday, interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen accused the Liberal government of misusing the Emergencies Act and “trying to cover it up.”
The Liberals replied that they had been “transparent” about their reasons for invoking the law, but the Tory leader was unconvinced.
“‘Trust us’ is not enough,” he said.
Last month, at a meeting of the same committee set up to study the use of Emergencies Act powers, federal ministers provided few details.
Justice Minister David Lametti repeatedly invoked cabinet confidentiality during his appearance.
Meanwhile, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the government received the notice to invoke the Emergency Act, but did not respond to questions about who exactly gave that notice.
— with archives from The Canadian Press
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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