Public hearings of the Public Order Emergency Commission led by Paul Rouleau began in Ottawa on October 17. The commission is looking into the federal government’s declaration of a public order emergency in February 2022 by invoking the Emergencies Act. Witness List for October 17: MR. STEVE KANELLAKOS, MR. SERGE ARPIN. Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, having been appointed commissioner for the Public Order Emergency Commission, is heading the inquiry into the federal government’s invocation of Emergency Acts in response to the freedom convoy protest earlier this year. The act gave law enforcement extraordinary powers to clear out protests from Ottawa’s downtown area and also gave financial institutions the power to freeze the accounts of convoy organizers and supporters.