Parliament Continues to Delay Committee Report on the Invocation of Emergencies Act
Deliberations on the invocation of the Emergencies Act have now entered their 18th month, as Parliament’s special joint committee fails to establish a deadline for its final report. The committee recently admitted that it has yet to determine when it will complete its investigation into whether the cabinet was justified in using temporary special measures against the Freedom Convoy.
Members of Parliament have voiced their frustration, noting that they are still waiting to see all records in both official languages. They have expressed their concern about the lack of progress in the committee’s work. During the last closed session, it was decided that the committee would suspend its work until the translation of thousands of pages of documents compiled by the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) could be completed. The POEC concluded its work on February 17 of last year.
In February 2022, large-scale protests filled downtown Ottawa, with participants demonstrating against COVID mandates and what they saw as government infringement on Charter rights. The protests included truck convoys and encampments surrounding Parliament, causing disruptions and frustrations among the public. Eventually, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to allow for temporary measures. These measures included the establishment of exclusion zones around the convoy and the ability for law enforcement to remove individuals without having to identify them as protesters. It also permitted the freezing of bank accounts belonging to convoy participants and supporters.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland defended these measures, stating that they were necessary to protect Canadians from perceived threats to public safety posed by the Freedom Convoy. However, it was later revealed that a security bulletin, created by Public Safety Canada, falsely claimed that the Freedom Convoy had ransacked federal office buildings in Ottawa the previous year.
The POEC was tasked with investigating the protests and the government’s justification for invoking the Emergencies Act. However, the parliamentary committee established to examine the POEC’s findings has struggled to reach any conclusions. Conservative MP Larry Brock has accused the Liberal members of the committee of deliberately preventing the release of government documents, stalling progress.
Attempts to declassify documents relating to the invocation of the Emergencies Act have also faced opposition. While some MPs argued that the public should be entitled to see uncensored documents explaining why the act was invoked, others, including Liberal MP Arif Virani, now the Attorney General, have expressed reservations about declassification, citing security and classification concerns.
The committee has continued to encounter obstacles in its pursuit of information and cooperation from witnesses. New Democrat MP Matthew Green expressed frustration at the lack of substantive answers and documents provided to the committee. The delays and resistance to transparency have raised concerns about the committee’s ability to fully investigate the government’s actions.
As the committee’s inquiry stretches into its 18th month, there is a growing sense of impatience and a desire for answers. The lack of a deadline for the final report on the invocation of the Emergencies Act has left MPs and the public waiting for a resolution to this contentious issue.
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