Evidence of meeting #7 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 rcmp.
A video is available from Parliament.
Commr Brenda Lucki
Yes, there are municipal bylaws. There are provincial laws, as well as the Criminal Code and various other statutes.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
On February 12, the Ottawa Police Service announced that it had established an integrated command centre to coordinate enforcement actions. That was in relation to the law in general, not the Emergencies Act, which had not yet been invoked.
We were told at the time that the Ottawa Police Service had worked with the Ontario Provincial Police, or OPP, and the RCMP to set up an integrated and enhanced command centre to address the arrival of large numbers of protesters in the Ottawa area and the escalating occupation that was under way. It was also to secure the areas and ensure that protesters left the areas.
That was February 12. You did not need the Emergencies Act to do that.
Isn't that right?
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
It was in fact a question.
You did not need the Emergencies Act to establish an integrated command centre to coordinate law enforcement with the Ottawa Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Isn't that right?
Commr Brenda Lucki
The integrated command centre was established. The OPP, OPS and the RCMP created a planning cell in order to create a plan for enforcement action.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
You had the authority to arrest protesters, to lay criminal charges for disturbing the peace or mischief. You had the authority to arrest offenders even without a warrant at that time.
Isn't that right?
Commr Brenda Lucki
This was completely a different type of protest, where people were not leaving. Our police liaison teams were trying to motivate people to leave, because when we're dealing with a mass protest, it's all about reducing that footprint so that we can be as safe as we can with enforcement action. When the weekend was full of protesters, it was not the time to do any type of enforcement, because it was too dangerous for the public and the police.
We always try to reduce the footprint by deterring people from coming in and motivating people to leave. Obviously, there was a great group of people—
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
On February 12, when you established the plan to coordinate enforcement action, the Emergencies Act was not invoked.
At that time, were you aware that the Emergencies Act would be invoked?
Commr Brenda Lucki
No, I did not, but what I can say is that the Emergencies Act did give us the tools that we needed—
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
When did you learn that there would be an order invoking the Emergencies Act?
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
During the period before the order, you prepared an action plan with the OPP and the Ottawa Police Service to clear the street.
Is that right?
Commr Brenda Lucki
Yes. We started a planning cell to do the planning in and around February 12. That was when the cell got together to start planning for enforcement activity in the downtown core.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
Senator Carignan, I'm sorry, but your time is up.
Senator Harder is next.
Peter Harder Senator, Ontario, PSG
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Commissioner and Director, for your appearance tonight.
I'm going to start with Commissioner Lucki and go forward from the questions by my colleague Senator Carignan.
In developing the plan, which was before the invocation, were you assuming the invocation of the emergency measures in your plan?
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Do you view the invocation of the Emergencies Act as a failure of policing?
Senator, Ontario, PSG
Would you not agree with at least my observation that the events, particularly in Ottawa, were unmanageable from an Ottawa Police Force point of view, from an OPP point of view and from an RCMP point of view up until the emergency measures were invoked? That, in my book, is a failure.