Justin Trudeau will take the stand at inquiry into Freedom Convoy response
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be called to testify at hearings into the government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to end anti-mandate protests earlier this year.
The Public Order Emergency Commission, led by former Ontario Superior Court justice Paul Rouleau, is scheduled to begin hearings next week, with the mandate to assess the government’s use of the Act for the first time since it became law in 1988. .
Although the preliminary list of approximately 60 witnesses prepared by commission counsel has yet to be made public, CTV News has learned that it includes eight cabinet ministers, including Trudeau.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are among those also expected to be called to testify.
Trudeau invoked the Act on Feb. 14 to end protests against COVID-19 measures that occupied Ottawa and jammed border crossings in Alberta and at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. It was revoked nine days later, after police dismantled the protests.
The government argued police needed the additional tools, including the ability to freeze bank accounts of convoy supporters, to end the protests. But critics, including the Conservative Opposition, said the decision was unnecessary and an unwarranted intrusion on Canadians’ Charter rights.
The commission has the power of subpoena to compel witnesses, but the government officials are expected to appear voluntarily. The Prime Minister’s Office told CTV News that Trudeau anticipated being asked to give evidence and “welcomes” the opportunity.
The proposed witness list also includes several leaders of the so-called Freedom Convoy, including some currently facing criminal charges, as well as law-enforcement officials from the RCMP, the Ottawa Police Service, and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Keith Wilson, one of the lawyers who has represented convoy leader Tamara Lich, says his clients are in the process of gathering documents to present to the commission. Wilson says he has texts and phone records which show that organizers had “ratified a deal” to move trucks out of Ottawa’s downtown core before the Emergencies Act was invoked.
Wilson says his clients have not yet been scheduled to testify but have been told to be ready to take the stand as early as next Tuesday. The hearings are scheduled for Oct. 13 to Nov. 24, but could be extended.
There are 39 individuals and organizations with standing at the inquiry, but it is up to the commission’s lawyers to choose whom they call to testify. Those with standing could be given a chance to cross-examine witnesses.
The Commission said it would not provide the full list of witnesses until next week.
“The Commission has provided a preliminary list of witnesses to Parties that have standing,” spokesman Michael Tansey said in an email. “The list is not final and was provided to Parties on a confidential basis.”
It is unusual, though not unprecedented for prime ministers, to testify at public inquiries. In 2005, then-prime minister Paul Martin appeared at the Gomery Commission looking into corruption allegations involving the Liberal government’s sponsorship and advertising programs.
Martin’s predecessor, former prime minister Jean Chretien, also testified at the Gomery hearings. The commission’s finding, that Chretien and his chief of staff bore some responsibility for misspending, was later set aside by the Federal Court of Canada.
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
Child under 5 dies of measles in Ontario: PHO
A young child has died of measles in the province, a new surveillance report from Public Health Ontario confirms.
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
NEW 'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Wildfires burning across Canada: Communities threatened as flames creep closer
Thousands of residents fled Fort McMurray this week, fearing a repeat of the 2016 wildfire that forced out the entire community and torched more than 2,400 homes.
Miller scores late as Canucks grind out 3-2 win over Oilers in Game 5
J.T. Miller scored in the final minute of the game and the Vancouver Canucks came back for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Most Canadians support abortion, one-third see Tories as least supportive: poll
Eight in 10 Canadians back a woman's right to an abortion and two in three don't want the notwithstanding clause used to restrict access to abortions, a new poll suggests.
Local Spotlight
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
B.C. musician's song catches attention of Canucks
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Thieves caught on camera stealing pet chicken from North Vancouver backyard
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Chris Hadfield inspires youth musical in Sudbury
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.