Paul Rouleau, head of the Public Order Emergency Committee, called for the cabinet to lose confidence in documents used by the cabinet to decide whether to invoke the act, in order to provide full transparency to the government’s decision. “This extraordinary step recognizes the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work and how crucial these documents are to investigate why the government has declared a public order emergency,” said committee advisers Shantona Chaudhury and Jeffrey Leon in a statement. This is only the fourth time in Canadian history that a public inquiry will have access to cabinet documents, according to the commission. Prime Minister Justin Trinto invoked the act on February 14 – for the first time in Canadian history – during protests over the COVID-19 mandate and the subsequent occupation of Ottawa. The bill gave the federal government temporary powers to deal with the blockades that blocked Ottawa for three weeks last winter, as protesters blocked access to the neighborhood and main thoroughfares around Parliament Hill, blocking roads with trucks and other vehicles. The commission announced Monday who will be given the right to public inquiry, including governments at all three levels, convoy organizers and the police. Granting standing groups or individuals allows them certain privileges in the investigation process, including the ability to propose witnesses or cross-examine them. It also means that they are notified in advance of documents submitted as evidence.
