Lawyer says convoy protesters were receiving leaked police information, Emergencies Act inquiry hears

One of the main lawyers representing some convoy organizers says the group was receiving leaked police information during the early days of protests that blocked streets in downtown Ottawa, the Emergencies Act inquiry heard.

Keith Wilson, who represents organizers including Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, is testifying Wednesday in front of the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is reviewing the federal government's decision to invoke emergency powers to clear the crowds and vehicles that had gridlocked the capital for more than three weeks.

Before his testimony, Wilson sat down with commission lawyers for an interview. A summary of that interview was entered as an exhibit on Wednesday. 

"Wilson is unaware of the sources, but the Freedom Convoy was receiving leaked information from law enforcement," it reads.

"Eventually, the police caught on and appeared to launch 'fake operations' to throw off the Freedom Convoy participants and test where the leaks were coming from."

Wilson's statement does not say which police service he believes was leaking information.

The Ottawa Police Service has said it's investigating a small number of officers who may have supported the Freedom Convoy since the early days of the illegal occupation in the downtown core. To date, only one Ottawa police officer has faced any formal prosecution for involvement in the convoy or its occupation and that was for donating money. 

Last week, Ottawa Police Services Supt. Robert Drummond told the inquiry there were concerns within the service about leaks, but he wasn't aware of the status of the investigation. 

"There was one member that I was aware of, and we shut down his access to his corporate accounts," he said.

"As a precaution, we shut down. He wasn't currently working — he was on a leave of absence."

According to documents previously released to CBC through an access to information request, the RCMP feared that serving Mounties could be sympathetic to the protests against pandemic restrictions.

"The potential exists for serious insider threats," reads a Feb. 10 advisory from the RCMP's ideologically motivated criminal intelligence team.

"Those who have not lost their jobs but are sympathetic to the movement and their former colleagues may be in a position to share law enforcement or military information to the convoy protests."

The RCMP later said it did not identify any "active insider threats within the RCMP that could have negatively impacted the organization's ability to execute its mandate in relation to the Freedom Convoy."