Declaration of Emergency Committee on Sept. 29th, 2022

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Okay.

Then I want to put to you, Mr. Brookson, something that Mr. Brock was just touching on. Perhaps we'll take it from the first instance. When we're outside right now and we're trying to get onto the parliamentary precinct, there are those things that I think are called bollards. They come up out of the earth. It's pretty cool for a guy who isn't familiar with bollards. Those are there to prevent vehicles from accessing the precinct. Again, that's because they can be dangerous because they are vehicles—and you're nodding in assent. They can also be dangerous because of what's inside the vehicles, potentially. Is that fair?

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, that's correct. Vehicles can be weaponized.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Okay. We know that they've been weaponized in terrorist incidents around the planet.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, you are correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

In terrorist incidents, in fact, in Canada, vehicles have been used to strike people down.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, you are correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Going back to Mr. Brock's question, you actually put a specific request in to the RCMP to do this chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive detection test, and they did not do that. Is that correct?

[Larry Brookson]

That's correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

The reason they gave to you was that the people who did this specific test didn't feel safe accessing the vehicles.

[Larry Brookson]

That's correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

That goes back to what Mr. McDonell said, because a lot of the policing was taking place outside of the actual blockade, as opposed to within the blockade, because law enforcement agents didn't feel safe inside the blockade itself.

Is that correct?

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, I can't speak to how they felt, on whether the Ottawa Police Service or any other serving agency that was there felt safe or not.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Okay.

You guys are the law enforcement experts, not me. I guess if you're faced with that sort of situation, if you can't figure out what's in the vehicles, one of the other options is to just move the vehicles.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, the option is not letting them on in the first place.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Fair enough, but they were there, and we can explore that.

I just want to make sure we're crystal clear on your testimony. You had actually suggested to Senator White a freeze of Wellington one week prior to the blockaders arriving in Ottawa, and that request that you put to the Ottawa Police Service was effectively rebuffed.

[Larry Brookson]

You are correct—through you, Mr. Chair, sorry.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

That's right.

Now that we have a situation where the vehicles are on the territory and you can't find out what's in the vehicles, then I guess your only option is to try to have the vehicles removed from the territory as a means of keeping the area safe.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, the biggest challenge I had was that I didn't have authority on Wellington Street.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

When the Emergencies Act declaration comes into force, things such as towing provisions are empowered. Those vehicles were eventually removed after the EA declaration was put in place. Is that correct?

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, that's how it was conducted within the policing partners, but the service had no role in that.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Just in these last 30 seconds, you talked a bit in response to questions put by Mr. Green about your concerns about potential ideologically motivated extremism.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, that's correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

That was informed a bit by what you had observed at Coutts, but also by what you were observing here in Ottawa, so you had a level of heightened concern about potential IMVE here in Ottawa.

[Larry Brookson]

Through you, Mr. Chair, that's correct.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Was that threat assessment heightened by virtue of what you witnessed in terms of certain flags or types of things being displayed such as swastika flags?