Ottawa has spent $2.2 million in its lawsuit against groups seeking damages for the invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy, according to the federal government.
The information came in response to an Inquiry of Ministry by Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, who asked for the total legal costs incurred by Ottawa in responding to a lawsuit against four groups challenging the Feb. 14, 2022, invocation of the Emergencies Act. The four groups in the lawsuit were Canadian Frontline Nurses, the Canadian Constitution Foundation, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and individuals Jerimiah Jost, Edward Cornell, Vincent Gircys, and Harold Ristau.
The Freedom Convoy protest originated as a demonstration against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for truckers traversing the Canada–U.S. border, but expanded into a broader movement opposing various pandemic-related mandates and restrictions. The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to deal with the protests, giving law enforcement expanded powers to arrest demonstrators and freeze the bank accounts of some protestors.
Additional Lawsuits
The federal government is expected to spend much more on legal costs defending its decision to invoke the Emergencies Act in 2022. Shortly after Justice Mosely announced his decision, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Liberal government would be appealing the decision.In a Statement of Claim for Mr. Marazzo filed in the Ontario Superior Court Justice, he claimed his Section 8 Charter rights were violated by the federal government freezing his bank account and credit cards.
Then on Feb. 14, the two-year anniversary of the Emergencies Act being invoked, several protestors who had their bank accounts frozen filed a tort lawsuit against federal ministers and financial institutions behind the decision. The Statement of Claim said the plaintiffs were subjected to the “unreasonable use of the Emergencies Act,” which breached their Section 8 and Section 2(b) Charter rights.