Declaration of Emergency Committee on May 10th, 2022

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Mr. Green.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Through you to Commissioner Lucki, the lessons learned from the rolling thunder protest, the ones that you listed, seemed pretty obvious, did they not, Commissioner Lucki?

It wouldn't take the retrospective view of the Emergencies Act to learn those lessons. Is that not fair to say?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

I don't attach the lessons learned to any act.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

It's the Emergencies Act, the invocation of which you are providing testimony for.

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

Yes. When we look at the lessons learned, we look at the types of resources we brought in, the type of plan we had—

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Thank you.

I'm trying not to get frustrated, but I'm challenged by your not drawing that very basic conclusion and that very basic comparison between the two. Therefore, let's do some more comparisons.

In the lead-up to Coutts, it would be safe to say that the RCMP would have had investigations ongoing that ultimately led to the discovery of the weapons cache in Coutts.

Is that correct?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

Yes.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

You would have known about that in advance. How far in advance would you have known that the Diagolon group was plotting for this type of intervention in Coutts?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

It wasn't that far in advance, but I can't speak to any details because it's before the courts.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

There'll be a response to that momentarily.

Are you aware of whether members of Diagolon were present in Ottawa?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

I do not know that. I will pass that to—

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

That's okay. I want to stay on this, Commissioner Lucki, because this is important information.

Understanding the investigation that ultimately led to the weapons cache, is it safe to say that the RCMP would have been on high alert, given the high-risk nature of this investigation and arrest?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

Yes, it was—

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Did the RCMP dispatch an emergency response team to Coutts?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

I believe they did, at the point of execution of the search warrants.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

How long had the ERTs been involved in these occupations across the country?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

It had been off and on, depending on the circumstances.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

I'd call you on that because, for example, in November 2021, the B.C. RCMP deployed military-style police tactical units, including snipers—lethal overwatch—and heavily armed assault teams against unarmed Wet'suwet'en land defenders in northern British Columbia because they deemed it more practical.

Were any weapons ever found in the Wet'suwet'en territory as the small houses were chainsawed down and entries were forced on those camps?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

I would have to pass that to my colleague who's in charge of contract and indigenous policing, Brian Brennan.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

It's a simple yes or no question for your colleague, if he can answer that. Were any weapons found on the site of the Wet'suwet'en land defenders?

[Brian Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police]

I'm personally not aware of any weapons that were found during those searches.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

I ask this question through you, Madam Chair, to the commissioner. Here we have a situation, a juxtaposition of policing and what I'll call a failure of policing.

How is it that you reconcile the double standard in policing? What would you say to Canadians who have questions about the conduct of RCMP officers giving handshakes, high fives and hugs shortly after these weapon stashes were found in what was admittedly a high-risk investigation and arrest?

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

Deputy Commissioner Brennan can answer that.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Commissioner Lucki, this is a question for you.

[Commr Brenda Lucki]

There were many legal protesters at the Coutts protest. Our members who police there are part of the community. The shop in those stores. They're neighbours to those people.