Cabinet told of possible 'breakthrough' with protesters night before Emergencies Act was invoked
CBC
On the night before Justin Trudeau took the historic step of invoking the Emergencies Act during last February's Freedom Convoy occupation of Ottawa, the prime minister's national security and intelligence adviser told cabinet there was "potential for a breakthrough," court documents reveal.
The office of Canada's public safety minister says the adviser was referring to negotiations led "principally" by the City of Ottawa that were "ultimately unsuccessful" after being "disavowed" by many associated with the convoy.
The disclosure about the potential breakthrough, contained in the summary of a cabinet meeting that took place on the evening of Feb. 13, 2022, comes in one of several heavily redacted documents recently filed in federal court. Civil liberties groups are legally challenging the government's use of the act, saying it went too far.
The Toronto Star first reported on the documents.
According to the cabinet meeting minutes, which are not a verbatim transcript, Jody Thomas — the former deputy minister of national defence and one of Trudeau's top advisers — told Trudeau and his assembled ministers that "law enforcement gains have been important and that there was potential for a breakthrough in Ottawa, Ontario."
Protesters were rallying against pandemic restrictions and blocked neighbourhood access and main arteries around Parliament Hill by clogging the streets with trucks and other vehicles.
The next day, on Feb. 14, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history.
Doing so gave authorities sweeping temporary powers, including the ability to freeze the bank accounts and credit cards of protesters. Attending any event deemed an unlawful assembly, such as the Ottawa convoy protest, also became illegal.
The act also made it possible for officers from outside of Ontario to participate in the operation to end the protest.
The act went into effect immediately but the debate about its merits in the House of Commons and Senate stretched on even as police quelled the last remnants of the demonstration on Feb. 19. Trudeau revoked the act five days later.
Sections of the document made available in the court documents do not include any details about the possible breakthrough cited by Thomas on Feb. 13.
But according to the statement from Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino's office, the adviser was referring to negotiations led by the City of Ottawa.
On Feb. 13, the city announced it had come to an agreement with one of the leaders of the demonstration that would see hundreds of protest trucks to leave residential areas.
The city's talks were ultimately unsuccessful, Mendicino's office said.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.
Students at the University of Regina are days away from deciding whether a newly formed student association should become their official representative body.
All public schools on P.E.I. are closed Friday and thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power as strong winds create hazardous travel conditions across the province.
Prince Rupert, B.C., residents are celebrating the holidays this year with coastal flair.
In the four years Chelsey Simmonds has worked at the Eva Rothwell Centre, she has seen the need increase every year at the centre’s community food pantry.
CBC is once again looking to make the holiday season kind in Windsor-Essex.