The principle of police independence is fundamental in this country. I don't direct the RCMP, the OPP or any provincial or municipal police force. We receive intelligence and information to form a threat picture. There is intelligence that is retained by the policing agencies, the RCMP being one of them, in order to execute operations such as the one in Coutts.
I had no expectation that I would see the tactical plan. I have no ability to assess the tactical plan. We are not policing experts. That's not what we do.
We relied on the commissioner of the RCMP to ensure there was a tactical plan that could be executed, and she did that. In fact, the plan that was put into play on or about February 17, and then through the end of the clearing of Ottawa and the convoys across the country, was aptly executed, led by the RCMP and the OPP.