Federal government 'lost confidence' in Ottawa police, Lucki told OPP in texts released at convoy inquiry
CBC
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki sent the Ontario Provincial Police a text message a week after anti-COVID-19 mandate protesters arrived in Ottawa to say the federal government was losing — or had already lost — confidence in the local police force.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique is testifying Thursday at a public inquiry investigating the Liberal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. The government argued its temporary and extraordinary powers were needed to end the blockades.
The text messages between Carrique and Lucki on Feb. 5 — in which the RCMP commissioner also said she was having a hard time trying to calm down federal cabinet ministers who were seeing "bouncing castles in downtown Ottawa" — were submitted to the public inquiry.
During his testimony, Carrique said the OPP is responsible for policing nearly 330 communities across the province and became aware the "Freedom Convoy" was on its way to Ottawa about two weeks before it arrived.
He said he believed Ottawa police would stop large trucks from going downtown and parking around Parliament Hill. He said that, had he known otherwise, he would have asked more questions and could have offered extra resources.
He also said the force's intelligence showed protesters were expressing a "commitment for long-term activity" and were making "demands that could not be realized in the short term or at all."
