(L–R) Lawyer Keith Wilson and Freedom Convoy organizers Chris Barber and Tamara Lich hold a press conference in Ottawa on Feb. 3, 2022. (NTD)
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Following the Nov. 2 revelation by a witness at the Public Order Emergency Commission that law enforcement intelligence was leaked to the Freedom Convoy during the protest, Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said an investigation is underway.
“We’ve already, as of last night, initiated an internal investigation,” Bell told a parliamentary committee on Oct. 3, noting that the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) would be contacting convoy lawyer Keith Wilson, who spoke of the leaks during testimony at the Emergencies Act inquiry.
“There was a steady stream of of information and leaks coming from all of the different police forces and security agencies,” Wilson, a lawyer representing the core Freedom Convoy group of organizers, testified on Nov. 2.
“There were numerous times where information would come into the operation centre from various police sources that a raid was imminent.”
He said a raid would then follow on a number of occasions, with police taking firewood, fuel, or food from the truckers. Evidence was heard from the police that some planned raids were aborted.
Lawyer for the class-action honking lawsuit, Paul Champ, asked Wilson, “You were getting information from sympathetic police, is that right?”
Wilson replied “Yes.” He testified that people with the same mission statement came together: “former police officers, military, Navy, CSIS, airplane pilots, doctors, nurses.”
Another convoy organizer, Tom Marazzo, a former military member, testified he had sympathetic law enforcement officers approaching him directly with intelligence.
Wilson also told the inquiry he had been openly involved with various other police service liaison members, including with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the OPS.
Bell said Wilson’s testimony was new and would be investigated. He also said that a number of investigations and discipline actions were previously carried out against officers who made donations to support the convoy.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said at the Oct. 3 committee meeting that concerns were raised that some members of the police force were “sympathetic” to the convoy’s cause, but said there was “no ongoing investigation at this time.”
Other Accusations
There are also allegations that the Freedom Convoy organizers had direct law enforcement knowledge and leaked it internally.
A “person of interest” profile, created by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and entered into evidence before the commission, alleges that a former RCMP sniper on Justin Trudeau’s private security detail may “have leaked the Prime Minister’s schedule a few months ago.”
The Jan. 30 document redacts the officer’s name but states he resigned from the RCMP in 2021 after mandatory vaccinations were implemented for all federal employees by the Trudeau government.
The document says the individual “has been very vocal on social media in his belief that the vaccine mandates are in violation of the Canadian Constitution” and alleges he is involved with “Mounties for Freedom.”
The document also notes there have been no criminal charges laid against the individual in connection with these intelligence documents.
CBC News suggests the individual was “head of Freedom Convoy security” and names the redacted former officer, explaining there is a redacted photo of him sourced from a YouTube interview.
The individual was labelled as head of convoy security in media reports, but he told the Globe and Mail last week that he did not have that role and that the media misinterpreted his involvement. He said he acted as a “volunteer security coordinator and police liaison.”
“I’ve never revealed any kind of sensitive information or revealed any kind of tradecraft that would be protected under the Security of Information Act,” he said.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
