Declaration of Emergency Committee on April 26th, 2022

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Yes, and worse.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Do you recall a general atmosphere of partying mixed with the use of alcohol, and harassment and intimidation towards the residents of downtown Ottawa?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Naqvi, I think we were all, those of us who were here, generally aware of the boisterous atmosphere, but it was far worse and criminal. That's one reason that hundreds of charges were laid—again, decisions taken independently by police.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Minister, did you get the sense at the time when you were getting all the briefings and you were engaged in conversations, and being here yourself, that there was a sense of breakdown in public trust as to how the occupation would come to an end in the case of Ottawa?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

I would think, Mr. Naqvi, that during that time I was aware that there was a high degree of anxiety, concern, frustration and anger, which, regrettably, was justified in the circumstances. When residents can't get to work, when they can't take their children to school, when seniors can't get around because public transportation can't get to them, when people who live in apartment buildings find that their front doors are locked and that fires are set in the hallways, in corridors, it is—

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

One moment, please, Minister.

Go ahead, Mr. Motz.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

That statement right there has been proven false by the Ottawa Police Service. There is no connection to the protesters whatsoever. For the minister to suggest that is absolutely unacceptable at this committee.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

I think the witness may answer the question.

It may be frustrating if the answer isn't relevant, Mr. Motz, but I don't think his answer is illegal. Questions must be relevant.

I will therefore allow the minister to continue answering.

Incidentally, you have 50 seconds left.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

All of this is to say, yes, Mr. Naqvi, there was definitely a lot of anger and frustration.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

That was the foundation. That was the basis upon which you had to make certain decisions as to how to bring an end to this illegal occupation. Were you getting advice as to what tools police may have needed to finally bring an end to that 24-day occupation?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Yes, of course.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

That led to the circumstances of various measures that you outlined in the Emergencies Act order.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

As I've said on a number of occasions, the principal reason we invoked was that the existing authorities that were on the books—we've heard references to different statutes, the Highway Traffic Act, the Criminal Code—all have provisions, but for a variety of reasons, mostly dealing with the unprecedented and sustained nature of the illegal occupation in Ottawa, we took the decision to invoke.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Your time is up, Minister.

Thank you, Minister and Mr. Naqvi

Now it's my turn to speak as a Bloc Québécois member. I therefore ask my colleague Mr. Green to chair the meeting.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Could I, just before you begin, have a reminder on the minutes? How long is the duration of this round?

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

It's three minutes.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Thank you.

The floor is yours for three minutes.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, I listened to your testimony, and I have to admit you don't reassure me at all.

If my understanding is correct, you may not instruct any police officer or authority to prevent these kinds of incidents from reoccurring. You say you were aware of this from the start, since you live in Ottawa. You heard the noise of the horns and saw the roadblocks. You're the Minister of Public Safety, but you say you couldn't do anything and didn't have the necessary authority to do anything. And clearly, for a reason I'm still unaware of, but which I hope we'll uncover before we complete our work, the police felt they couldn't act either.

Based on your testimony, anyone could park his car anywhere in Ottawa tomorrow morning. A lot of truck drivers could do the same, and people could install hot tubs and barbecues wherever they please. Our reaction would be to sit back and wait a few weeks until we ultimately announce we're invoking the Emergencies Act.

Is that really your testimony, Minister?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

No, that's not my testimony at all.

The government took specific measures from the very start of the blockade. For example, we added manpower on the ground in cooperation with the RCMP. We stayed in contact with the City of Ottawa.

We added manpower across Canada, at the border and in the communities, such as Windsor. The RCMP had three facilities to assist the Ottawa Police Service. Even before…

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Minister, the Windsor situation was resolved before the state of emergency was declared.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

That's correct.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

I'm talking about Wellington Street, in Ottawa.

What I'm telling you is that there was a blockade here, and from what you tell us, you witnessed it. That blockade was so serious that you ultimately invoked the Emergencies Act, which I think was unnecessary. That's my opinion. We'll see how this develops.

The fact nevertheless remains that today you're confirming there was nothing else you could do. As Senator Carignan told us, roads can be cleared under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act. Although that seems obvious, everybody I talk to tells me it's normal for police officers…

No one understands how a situation like that could continue and drag on without end. At this point, with all due respect, Minister, it looks to everyone like an unacceptably lax and even irresponsible performance.

Would you please explain it for us?

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Be brief, please, Mr. Minister.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

First of all, the Province of Ontario invoked its own act, the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Second, the province made that decision before the federal act was invoked. What I was saying is that we introduced a number of measures to assist Ottawa police before invoking the Emergencies Act.