Mr. McDonell, this is related to you and for you. Kevin Vickers, who is your former boss and a well-known sergeant-at-arms and a well-respected law enforcement officer of many years, has had some things to say about the convoy and the response to the convoy. I want to review some of those.
He called it the “Canadian way”. He tweeted, “We solve these things through a measured approach, #CanadianWay, dealing with public order and civil disobedience. It is a problem-solving model that includes all stakeholders...listening, education, communication, facilitation and enforcement, but it's founded upon respect and the dignity of all people. Bring these facilitators and stakeholders who have a mandate and responsibility to resolve the issue, together, sit down and try to talk to try to come up with solutions and a compromise.”
He went on to make many other comments. He tweeted that the Canadian way “involves recognizing, accommodating and reconciling differing perspectives and interests through informed, respectful debate and compromise.”
He also said that enforcement alone is always degrees of loss, a simplistic view of the rule of law, so it's naive to think that this is going to be at all resolved through enforcement.
He went on to say, “My friends there is another way. Enforcement! How is that working for you. Enforcement means degrees of losing for everyone. We are better than this Canada! Respect, dialogue, understanding [and] empathy....”
He also tweeted, “Respect actually means listening to something you'd rather not hear and listening must include the possibility of recognizing there may be a 'meaningful grievance' on the other side.”
Now, I respect the position you're in, and I'm not asking you specifically to weigh in on what could or should have been done, but these comments come from an individual I know you respect and who has a position. Can you provide any comments to us on that position and your view of the response to the protest and the invocation of the Emergencies Act?