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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and seven of his cabinet ministers as well as the outgoing mayor of Ottawa and the city’s former police chief are among the witnesses scheduled to testify at a public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act that begins hearings this week.
Also on a list of 65 expected witnesses released Tuesday are Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, two of the main “freedom convoy” organizers facing criminal charges related to the massive protest that gridlocked downtown Ottawa earlier this year.
During a news conference in Sorel-Tracy, Que., on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Trudeau said the commission would do extremely important work to lay out the facts of the protests across Canada last February. He added that it is important for Canadians to see why the government made the decisions it did.
“It’s actually why, from the very beginning, I offered to appear in front of the commission, because it’s important that Canadians know that the use of the Emergencies Act was an option of last resort and when it was used, it was used in a proportionate way, in a time-limited way, and in a measured way to put an end to these protests, these illegal protests and get Canadians in Ottawa and in places affected by this, their lives back,” he said.
“This was not something to be taken lightly and it’s important that there be open commissions to ensure proper accountability and I am very much looking forward to appearing at that committee.”
Cabinet witnesses are Mr. Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Defence Minister Anita Anand, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Justice Minister David Lametti, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, who is not seeking re-election this fall, and Peter Sloly, who stepped down as Ottawa police chief during the protest, are also on the witness list. Mr. Sloly’s replacement, Steve Bell is also scheduled to testify. Ottawa city councillor Catherine McKenney, now a leading candidate in the race to replace Mr. Watson, is also on the list.
The full list of witnesses is here.
The Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, granting police extraordinary temporary powers to clear people and vehicles out of downtown Ottawa, and allowing banks to freeze the accounts of some of those involved.
The Emergencies Act requires a public inquiry be called to examine the government’s decision-making any time it is invoked. The commission must provide a final report with findings and recommendations to the federal government by Feb. 20.
The hearings are scheduled to run until Nov. 25, according to a statement issued on Tuesday. “This critical phase will shed light on the events that led to the declaration of the public order emergency and fully explore the reasons advanced for the declaration,” Commissioner Paul Rouleau said in a statement.
Tuesday’s statement said the cabinet ministers are being called to explore the reasons the government deemed it appropriate to invoke the Emergencies Act.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
HOCKEY CANADA CEO/BOARD OUT - Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith and the board of directors departed Tuesday amid a controversy over how the organization handled allegations of sexual assault. Story here.
DATE SET FOR KING CHARLES CORONATION - The coronation of King Charles III will take place on May 6, 2023, Buckingham Palace has announced. Story here.
PREMIER MOE TALLIES COST OF FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has released a policy paper claiming the federal government’s environmental policies would cost the province $111-billion over 12 years and vowing to affirm and advance Saskatchewan’s “constitutional authority and autonomy within Canada.” Story here from CBC.
SMITH SWORN IN AS ALBERTA PREMIER - Danielle Smith was sworn in as Alberta’s 19th premier Tuesday, making her the third woman to hold the job. Story here from CBC. The new Premier faces big tests as provincial leader. Story here. Meanwhile, the top adviser to Ms. Smith says her proposed sovereignty act would respect Supreme Court decisions – a reversal of her core policy promise on how she would challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. Story here. Ms. Smith was scheduled to hold a first news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
CSIS INFORMANT BREACHED SERVICE RULES - An informant working for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who smuggled three British schoolgirls into Syria for the Islamic State in 2015, breached the spy service’s rules that prohibit paid recruits from engaging in illegal activities including human trafficking. Story here.
CANADA SENDING MILITARY ENGINEERS TO HELP UKRAINE - Canada is sending 40 military engineers to Poland to train Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russia. Story here. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine as the country unleashed a lethal barrage of strikes against multiple Ukrainian cities on Monday, including downtown Kyiv where at least six people were killed. Story here.
TECH FIRMS RECREATED ARRIVECAN APP - Two Canadian tech firms have announced that they each independently recreated the ArriveCan app over the Thanksgiving weekend to illustrate that Ottawa should not have paid anywhere near $54-million on the mobile software. Story here.
ISRAEL’S EMBASSY IN OTTAWA FEARS VIOLENCE - The Embassy of Israel in Ottawa says it feels at risk of violence after nearly three years of pushing Global Affairs Canada to increase its security. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – The House of Commons is on a break this week, with business resuming on Oct. 17.
DAYS SINCE CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE POILIEVRE TOOK MEDIA QUESTIONS IN OTTAWA: 28
FREELAND IN WASHINGTON - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, in Washington, D.C., is attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, and was scheduled to deliver an address and participate in a Q&A session hosted by the Brookings Institution entitled “How democracies can shape a changed global economy.”
GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN ICELAND - Governor-General Mary Simon is scheduled to visit Reykjavik, Iceland, from Wednesday to Saturday, attending the Arctic Circle Assembly, an international gathering of representatives of government, Indigenous organizations, universities and environmental associations. She will also deliver a keynote address.
ANAND IN WARSAW - Defence Minister Anita Anand is in the Polish capital of Warsaw on Tuesday as part of a visit to Europe that began Monday and runs through to Friday. She is meeting with her Polish counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak.
GUILBEAULT IN COLOMBIA AND CHILE - Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was, on Tuesday, travelling from Colombia to Chile as part of a trip, running through to Saturday, to rally support for ambitious action ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, scheduled to be held in Montreal from Dec. 7 to 19. He is also hosting the 20th Council session of the Canada-Chile Commission for Environmental Co-operation. Mr. Guilbeault was scheduled to be in Chile until Thursday and then in Argentina until Saturday.
JOLY IN JAPAN - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly was in Japan on Tuesday as part of a trip to South Korea and Japan that began on Sunday and runs through to Saturday. In Tokyo, Ms. Joly was scheduled to discuss Canada and Japan’s common interests, thank Japan’s foreign affairs minister for his co-operation at the G7 and convey Canada’s full support for Japan’s G7 presidency in 2023.
TITLE CHANGE - The office of Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair has announced a change in his title. He was also President of the Queen’s Privy Council, but according to a statement issued Tuesday, and reflecting recent events, is now officially President of the King’s Privy Council and Minister of Emergency Preparedness.
THE DECIBEL
The Globe’s technology reporter Temur Durrani explains the problems within Facebook, what they say about the state of social media more broadly, and what social media might look like in the future. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, participated in a G7 leaders’ meeting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In Sorel-Tracy, Que., the Prime Minister held private meetings, and visited the Rio Tinto Fer et Titane facility. He was also scheduled to make an announcement, hold a media availability, and meet with a local seniors’ organization at a community centre.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
PUBLIC OPINION
Justin Trudeau is the preferred choice for prime minister compared with Pierre Poilievre, according to a new Nanos Research poll, though a significant portion of Canadians has nothing good to say about either leader. Story here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on Alberta, B.C. and two different approaches to fight Canada’s epidemic of drug deaths: “This spike in overdoses pushed the number of drug casualties since 2016 to 30,843. As a point of reference, COVID-19 has so far killed 45,486 people in Canada. Most opioid deaths have been in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario – with the two westernmost provinces particularly hard hit. But there is at least some good news to report. Recent provincial data suggest that, while the opioids epidemic isn’t over, it is lessening.”
Ian McGugan (The Globe and Mail) on how many houses Canada actually needs: “Everyone agrees Canada has a major housing shortage. To make homes more affordable for young people, to house incoming waves of immigrants and to restore sanity to markets like Toronto and Vancouver, the country needs more homes. But exactly how many homes? That proves to be a trickier question than you may think. Estimates vary hugely because the size of the country’s housing shortfall can be defined in a multitude of ways.”
David Parkinson (The Globe and Mail) on the ATB’s outgoing chief economist saying Danielle Smith’s proposed Alberta sovereignty act is ‘dangerous’: “I think this would be so politically confusing and disruptive. Just ask Quebec, after 1976 [when that province first elected a separatist Parti Québécois government], how that went for them. It was 40 years of an outflow of people and capital and corporate presence and influence … and it’s never returned. The same thing would happen in Alberta.” [Todd] Hirsch is far from alone in his apprehension about the rise of Ms. Smith, who prepares to move into the premier’s office after winning the leadership of the province’s ruling United Conservative Party last week. Her campaign – branded with the slogan “Alberta First” – promised a highly adversarial approach to dealing with Ottawa, which she paints as Alberta’s enemy and biggest obstacle to the province’s economic well-being.”
Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the Safe Third Country Agreement is unsafe and unconstitutional: “As Canadians, we take pride in our well-deserved reputation as a caring society that offers a humane and generous response to those seeking asylum. Yet last week, the Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments that since 2004, Canadians have been complicit in the mistreatment of refugees arriving at our border from the United States. At the heart of this issue is the 2004 Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which requires that refugee claimants seek protection in the first country in which they arrive, be it Canada or the United States.”
Iris Gorfinkel (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada isn’t making the most of its family doctors’ time in the face of critical shortages: “As one of the most in-demand professionals in Canadian health care, a family doctor must always use their time optimally, which can be difficult given the number of services they are relied upon to administer. There are at least two tasks that my colleagues and I, as general physicians, spend far too much time on that I believe could easily be done by other health care workers: administering vaccines and screening for common types of cancer. The time these services require results in longer waits for patients needing more immediate appointments. Make no mistake – these interventions are critical, but they don’t need to be done by a family physician. A team-based approach would free up appointments and allow family doctors to focus on medical treatment.”
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Ian Bailey