I'm not going to—
Evidence of meeting #5 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 question.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #5 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 question.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
I'm not going to criticize anybody in this forum. The facts were the facts.
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
9:20 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
I know, we're all asking you very important questions, Minister, but you don't always answer them. We're frustrated, and you're frustrated. That's unfortunate; we should have all night to discuss this issue, given its importance, but that's unfortunately not the case. So I have to manage the time. I apologize, Minister.
Senator Boniface has the floor for one minute.
9:20 p.m.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
I want to follow up on Mr. Green's comments because, as you would expect, I may disagree with his assumptions around what the police did and didn't do. We don't know the facts of exactly what they were faced with at the time, and I think that will be part of what we will hear. I expect we will hear from the chiefs and such.
I just want to make sure. To clarify, your point was that you dealt with the facts you had at the time, when the police came to you and indicated that they needed certain powers in order to do the job that needed to be done to meet the needs of the city of Ottawa. Is that not correct?
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
That's correct. The facts for me, as someone who had to try to deal with it from the position of the cabinet, cabinet meetings, the incident response group.... I was dealing with facts on the ground, and that's all I did.
9:20 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Senator.
Thank you, Minister.
Senator Carignan now has the floor for one minute.
9:20 p.m.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, are you familiar with section 134.1 of Ontario's Highway Traffic Act? You heard the question I asked your colleague a little earlier.
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
I don't have that section to hand, but that's not important.
9:20 p.m.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
I'll read it quickly because it's very important: “Where a police officer considers it reasonably necessary… to ensure orderly movement of traffic… he or she may remove and store or order the removal and storage of a vehicle, cargo or debris that are directly or indirectly impeding or blocking the normal and reasonable movement of traffic…” So police officers already had the authority, under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, to tow the vehicles and remove the hot tub, barbecue and tents. They already had those powers.
What additional powers did the Emergencies Act give them?
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
I've already described what we did under the act precisely to resolve the situation on the ground. That's what we had to do as a government; that's what we did, and we successfully resolved the situation.
9:20 p.m.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
Is Canada the only country that uses an emergencies act to tow away vehicles?
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
Some countries do a lot more than that, Mr. Carignan.
9:20 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Minister and Mr. Carignan.
Senator Harder now has the floor for one minute.
9:20 p.m.
Peter Harder
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Minister.
Minister, I preface my question by saying I fully understand and agree with cabinet confidence and client-solicitor privilege, but I want to talk about charter compliance and vehicles that the government uses to assure parliamentarians of compliance. When we have individual bills, the Minister of Justice tables charter compliance.
I wonder if you would contemplate tabling with this committee a statement of charter compliance.
9:20 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
Thank you for the question, Senator Harder. It is true that under the.... I've forgotten the measure. I am not required to table a certificate of charter compliance because this is not a bill.
That being said, I am required by the law under, I believe, the Statutory Instruments Act or something like that—section 4.2 of that act—to make sure that it is compliant with the charter. I have given you the conclusions that I have come to that what we did is charter compliant.
9:20 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Minister. Your time is already up.
We now go to the last member of the committee.
Senator Campbell, you have the floor for one minute.
9:20 p.m.
Senator, British Columbia, CSG
Thank you very much.
Minister, would you consider, through the FPT process, looking at emergency laws across Canada and how they fit together?
9:25 p.m.
Liberal
David Lametti Liberal LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC
Again, as a question, when your work is done, when the inquiry's work is done, I would certainly consider that.
9:25 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Mr. Campbell.
Minister, thank you very much. I understand the frustration you felt earlier. I'm constantly learning to manage my frustration as I participate in the deliberations of the House and committee. Sometimes we're almost happy to see that ministers can be equally frustrated at being interrupted. That's unfortunately due to the fact that we have little speaking time.