On Feb. 14, the one-year anniversary of the Trudeau government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act to clear the Freedom Convoy protest, only about a dozen protesters returned to the nation’s capital, significantly fewer than the thousands that had been present in 2022. Police and bylaw officers were present in increased numbers in case of a possible reunion of the convoy.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) held a press conference on the anniversary, announcing that their legal challenge against the government was ongoing and would include evidence presented to the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC). Paul Rouleau, the commissioner of the POEC, is expected to release his report on the decision made by the government to use the extraordinary powers of the Emergencies Act for the first time in history on Feb. 20. The commission reviewed thousands of documents and heard from dozens of witnesses during weeks of hearings that began on Oct. 13, 2022, and continued until Dec. 2.
Cara Zwibel, the CCLA director, said that the CCLA was “anxiously awaiting” the release of the POEC report, and that it was their position that the legal “threshold for using the act was not met.” She stated that most people would “probably prefer to forget” the anniversary of the use of the Emergencies Act, but that it was a “significant event in Canada.” Zwibel added that to qualify legally as a public order emergency, there must be “a threat to the security of Canada, that rises to the level of a national emergency,” based on definitions under the CSIS Act. She said that the government’s use of the Act created “severe restrictions on the freedom to peacefully assemble” and “the possibility of having your personal assets frozen with no notice and no due process” on Canadians across the country.
The CCLA’s judicial review hearing over the government’s use of the Emergencies Act is scheduled for early April. Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said he was also looking forward to receiving the POEC report.