Federal Government Will Ensure Canadians See Why Emergencies Act Was Needed, Trudeau Says on Inquiry

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question in Ottawa, Oct. 7, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will ensure Canadians see that the Emergencies Act was necessary, as the public inquiry into the use of the measure hears testimony over the next several weeks.

“We’re going to make sure that Canadians see the situation we were facing and how the tools we used were appropriate,” Trudeau told reporters in Hamilton, Ont., on Oct. 13, when asked about the ongoing inquiry that began this week.

“We knew from the very beginning that invoking the Emergencies Act is a big step—it had never been done before. Given these unprecedented illegal protests, we needed to take action,” he said.

“We took it in a way that was measured, that was responsible, that was time-limited.”

The Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 in response to the Freedom Convoy protests in downtown Ottawa, granting police the means to use extraordinary force in clearing protesters away from Parliament Hill. The government revoked the act nine days later on Feb. 23.

As required by the act, the federal government created the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) in April to examine the circumstances leading up to the invoking of the emergency measures and to determine if it was justified. Trudeau appointed Ontario Appeal Court Justice Paul S. Rouleau as the POEC’s commissioner.

Trudeau told reporters on Oct. 13 that Canadians need “transparency and accountability” from the federal government during the public inquiry.

“I think the important thing is for Canadians to understand the situation we were in and the choices we made,” he said. “We didn’t enter into using the Emergencies Act lightly.”

He added that “it was the necessary tool at the time.”

Trudeau and seven of his cabinet members are set to testify before the commission at some point during its six weeks of public hearings running from Oct. 13 until late November.

“We’re really pleased that the commission is going to be able to hear from all these witnesses,” he said. “And that was why I offered to appear.”