What I meant by that is that the 2(c) national security definition is not a one-for-one translation into the Emergencies Act. It is assigned meaning from the CSIS Act, as opposed to it must be determined by CSIS.
Section 16 of the Emergencies Act requires a broad interpretation and allows for broad consideration, as the Governor in Council has that responsibility.
The totality of the events across the country were determined to meet a threshold for a public order emergency. There were blockades at, as we know, the Ambassador Bridge, Emerson, Coutts and Surrey. There were convoys being formed across the country. As the Ambassador Bridge was being cleared, we learned of pop-ups to retake that bridge. In fact, the police had to stay in place for quite a significant amount of time.
There was a threat of weapons in Coutts and then the discovery of the size of the cache. Then there was even news we heard today about the significance of that cache and the amount of ammunition that was collected there. We were hearing the same language being used about Ottawa, that there was a threat of weapons. There were economic impacts, the inability of Canadians to live their lives and the increasing rhetoric online.
The concern about the rhetoric online—as you've all heard, because you've heard about IMVE, ideologically motivated extremism—is that the leaders of those movements are not necessarily the people who are going to act. It is the people who are motivated and inspired to act by the rhetoric they read. The rhetoric was increasing and we were getting concerned. The threats against public officials were increasing and we were getting concerned.
We were in the third weekend, going into the fourth weekend. The decision was based on the totality and the section 17 interpretation of a broad view, and the Governor in Council took the decision that the Emergencies Act was the correct course of action.