Ottawa police inspector worried 'Freedom Convoy' could turn into Jan. 6 attack
An inspector with the Ottawa Police Service told the Public Order Emergency Commission the protest that strangled downtown Ottawa last winter "exceeded" all expectations police had about how many people would take part.
Insp. Russell Lucas also said while he felt the first few days of the "Freedom Convoy" were managed well, police missed an opportunity to shrink the area of the protest when crowds thinned out after the first weekend.
Lucas, who was an Ottawa police incident commander during the convoy, was the first on the stand Tuesday as the public inquiry continued into the federal government's unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the massive demonstration. For nearly three weeks in late January and early February, parts of downtown Ottawa were blocked by hundreds of cars, vans and semi trucks.
In an interview with commission lawyers before the public hearings, Lucas said social media posts made him worry the "Freedom Convoy" could turn into a Jan. 6-style attack on Parliament Hill.
A summary of that interview was tabled as evidence as part of Lucas's testimony Tuesday.
The "Freedom Convoy" was a name coined by some of the demonstrators, who were massing in Ottawa to demand an end to all COVID-19 restrictions. Some in the various groups also wanted the Liberal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thrown out of office, while others carried signs demanding Trudeau be tried for treason.
Some social media posts ahead of the convoy's arrival in Ottawa on Jan. 29 discussed making the protest Canada's Jan. 6, referencing the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, by a mob of people who refused to accept the results of the presidential election that was won by Joe Biden.
Lucas's fears a similar mob would storm Parliament Hill never materialized, but he said he was shocked by how many vehicles arrived and said police were overwhelmed trying to control them.
"The analogy I use is I have one load of sandbags, and we're building a wall, but you see the waters are rising faster and you know you're going to get overwhelmed with the water that's coming."
He said close to 5,000 vehicles tried entering Ottawa on Jan. 29, the first major day of demonstrations, and that many were stopped travelling from Quebec.
He also said police only had a week to prepare for the protest, comparing it to his experience planning for the 2016 North American Leaders Summit in Ottawa, which he said unfolded over months.
Lucas's statements come after testimony from other senior Ottawa officers painted a picture of the difficulty police had with intelligence gathering and planning for the event, as well as a struggle for resources and a lack of contingency plan in the event protesters wouldn't leave.
Interim chief Steve Bell and others have said they were planning for a three-day protest that was peaceful.
Bell said Monday the police had not properly prepared for the affect the protests would have on local residents, including violence.
But the commission has also heard that a local hotel association warned police ahead of the convoy's arrival that protesters were booking rooms for 30 days.
And intelligence prepared by Ontario Provincial Police and submitted as evidence as part of the inquiry flagged the "Freedom Convoy" was deemed "high risk" for traffic disruptions and illegal activity.
Ottawa police have said those reports were not seen by senior officers in Ottawa until after the protest already descended on the city.
In earlier testimony, OPP officers testified there was a lack of informed intelligence and dysfunction in the ranks of Ottawa police from the early days of the protest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
Local Spotlight
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.