Lawyers for Alberta and Saskatchewan say those provinces were blindsided when Prime Minister Trudeau called the premiers to say the federal government was considering using the Emergencies Act to quash so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests.
OTTAWA — Lawyers for Alberta and Saskatchewan say those provinces were blindsided when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the premiers on Valentine’s Day to say the federal government was considering using the Emergencies Act for the first time to quash so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests.
“The call was not so much about consulting, it was about telling,” said Saskatchewan government lawyer Mike Morris. It will also make recommendations for the future, he said, while probing whether the special powers created under the Emergencies Act were appropriate to deal with the crisis. During brief opening statements to the inquiry, lawyers for various parties with standing outline their stances on the protests and use of the Emergencies Act.
The inquiry also heard briefly about the experience of residents in Ottawa, some of whom are suing the convoy organizers in a class-action lawsuit that seeks more than $300 million in damages. He said the evidence will show the extent to which the OPP relied on both the provincial and federal declarations of emergencies.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Public Order Emergency Commission to start ThursdayThe much-awaited hearings are an integral part of the public inquiry examining Justin Trudeau’s unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the convoy protests
Read more »
Inquiry into Liberals' use of Emergencies Act starts“Freedom Convoy” organizers\u0027 lawyer has told the Emergencies Act inquiry there was no evidence the law was necessary to end the protests.
Read more »