Police, including riot control officers and an armoured vehicle, take action to clear Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2022. (GettyImages)
The Liberal government has officially launched an independent public inquiry into its use of the Emergencies Act to remove Freedom Convoy demonstrators in Ottawa earlier this year.
Ontario Appeal Court Justice Paul S. Rouleau has been named commissioner of the inquiry and must provide a final report to the federal government by Feb. 20, 2023.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government has established the Public Order Emergency Commission to look into the circumstances that led to the Emergencies Act being invoked.
Trudeau invoked the Act for the first time since its creation on Feb. 14, amid nationwide protests against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The act gave police extraordinary powers to remove protesters at Ottawa’s downtown core and at several border blockades, where protesters had already largely cleared out by the time the act was invoked.
Additional powers granted under the act also allowed the federal government to freeze protesters’ and supporters’ bank accounts without a court order.
Following the clearing of protesters in Ottawa, the government revoked the act on Feb. 23.
The Liberal government gained the support of the NDP in its invocation of the act, while Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois opposed the move.
More to come
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
