Freedom Convoy – One Year Anniversary by Shirley Dolan
Shirley Dolan
Well, here we are, one year out from the historic Freedom Convoy, the peaceful protest that started to roll into the nation’s capital on January 28. Were you there? Many people were and those people made it difficult for the mainstream media to paint their unfair and dishonest picture of what took place. One of the speakers from Rebel News, in his speech, said that all the people there with cell phones were the media and the event would be recorded by them honestly and accurately. Thepeaceful protest lasted from January 28th when the first trucks began to roll in until the Emergencies Act was called on February 14 and the police moved in with pepper spray, guns, batons, horses, and a bad attitude. The violence was on the part of the government and the police.
So, we have had the Emergencies Act inquiry (Public Order Emergency Commission). The Commissioner, Justice Paul Rouleau is expected to table his report in Parliament on February 20. According to an article by Adam Goldenberg, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault, Rouleau’s mandate is limited to inquiring “into the circumstances that led to the declaration being issued and the measures taken for dealing with the emergency.” This mandate does not extend to opining on whether the Cabinet “believes, on reasonable grounds, that a public order emergency exists” – the legal threshold for invoking the government’s extraordinary powers under section 17(1) of the act. Opinion: It’s not Justice Rouleau’s job to say if Ottawa was right to invoke the Emergencies Act – The Globe and Mail
The article goes on to say, “In appointing Justice Rouleau to lead the inquiry, Cabinet directed him “to set out findings and lessons learned, including on the use of the Emergencies Act and the appropriateness and effectiveness of the measures taken,” and also “to make recommendations … on the use or any necessary modernization” of the law. This is a warrant to make factual findings and policy recommendations, not to reach a conclusion on the lawfulness of last year’s emergency declaration.”
This will be done in other courtrooms. For example, two civil liberties groups have already started judicial proceedings against the government, according to the article cited above.
In my opinion, the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) was well worth the money and time spent. It allowed everyone to have their say, no matter if you were supportive of the Freedom Convoy or not; no matter if you supported the invocation of the Emergencies Act or not, in a public forum open to all.
I watched many of the testimonies on YouTube. For the most part, I found witnesses to be open and honest save the politicians at the end who appeared to be in damage control mode. I found Judge Rouleau to be fair, with a no-nonsense demeanour, but nevertheless very accommodating to the witnesses. His sense of humour and impartiality were obvious.
No matter what the outcome of the POEC, it was well done and provided many the opportunity to have their story heard publicly without the manipulation of the mainstream media.
And good news, the Transportation Committee for the City of Ottawa has voted unanimously to open Wellington Street to traffic as soon as March 1. This is the right thing to do. Hopefully Council will agree.
Watch for Tom Marazzo’s firsthand account of the Freedom Convoy and the aftermath. Coming soon in paperback and eBook “The People’s Emergency Act – Freedom Convoy 2022”. www.tommarazzo.ca
Bravo Truckers and the Freedom Convoy 2022.
