Evidence of meeting #13 for Declaration of Emergency in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
Through you, Mr. Chair, my accounts on how....
I'm sorry, but I'm going to answer in English.
Any change to the posture or any briefings come up through me to both administrations. My direction comes from both Speakers, and they are who I'm accountable to.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
So you had discussions with the speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons. Is that correct?
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
I did not have discussions directly with them, but I provided updates to representatives from both administrations.
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
This was with Mr. McDonell and Ms. Lacroix.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
So Ms. Lacroix and Mr. McDonell were the only people you spoke to.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
At some point, did you ask for security assessments to evaluate the scale of the event, to see whether it was going to be worse than expected?
Are there any safety issue assessments related to the events?
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
We were aware of the scope, and I think a lot of people watching or in this room were aware of the scope. What was approaching Ottawa was live on national television. We started monitoring that on January 11 and—
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Mr. McDonell, I apologize for interrupting you. I know it's not polite, but my time is limited.
Maybe my question was poorly put. I want to know if you received any assessments of safety issues from external companies or experts in the field.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
I see.
Did you obtain legal advice as to what actions could or could not be taken in relation to the events?
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
You didn't ask for them and you didn't get them.
From what I understand, the events were probably more important and cumbersome than you anticipated. Am I right in thinking that?
Director, Corporate Security, Senate
Our role was to assess the threats and risks to parliamentary access and the security of parliamentarians and staff. In the Senate, we maintained access for parliamentarians and for staff. When necessary...
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Excuse me for interrupting you, Ms. Lacroix. Again, I may have asked the wrong question.
Were events more cumbersome, more difficult to manage, than you had anticipated?
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
Through you, Mr. Chair, originally, the information that was coming up was that this was going to be a three-day event, so that in itself was not necessarily a concern. Obviously what became a concern was when vehicles started to present themselves on Wellington, which is right down the heart of both administrations. The reality for me is I didn't know what was in those vehicles, and I had no means to verify what was in those vehicles, so that was a constant security concern for me throughout the days of the occupation.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
If I understood your answer correctly, the events were indeed more difficult to manage than originally expected. Rather than a three-day demonstration, the events were spread over a longer period. I understand that you had not planned for the closure of Wellington Street.
Am I correct in saying that?
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
I think it's important to be clear that none of the occupation touched the precinct directly. The precinct does not include Wellington Street.
NDP
The Joint Chair NDP Matthew Green
Thank you. The time is up.
Monsieur Fortin, I will pass the floor to you and start my time. I'll make sure my time is at five minutes correctly. We'll go through the acting chair, Mr. Fortin.
I would like to continue on with that line of questioning. Would you be willing to share any written and ongoing threat assessments as they evolved with this committee for the purpose of giving us a better understanding of how it evolved from your perspective?
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
For that, Mr. Chair, I would defer to the law enforcement partners who would have had that information.
NDP
The Joint Chair NDP Matthew Green
Through you, Mr. Chair, were there no internal communications as to the evolving nature of the threat? Would you not have reported to your superiors about how you viewed the threat assessment on the Hill as it evolved?
Acting Director, Parliamentary Protective Service
Those would have been through my own concerns and what I had seen.
NDP
The Joint Chair NDP Matthew Green
Sure. Would you be willing to present those to this committee for our consideration?