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.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
Absolutely.
When you're looking at a protest and a counterprotest from an officer's perspective, particularly given the challenge you had, it is a unique challenge, because officers had to watch their back from both sides.
Would that not be correct?
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
Obviously in your discussions, you anticipated some of that, and your plan would have included how to address those issues.
D/Commr Michael Duheme
They were addressed. On the ground, we had public liaison units who reached out to the organizers to explain things. If my memory serves me right, I think some of the counterprotests didn't go forward because we were able to convince people that it wasn't a good thing.
The Joint Chair Hon. Gwen Boniface
Were you as successful in convincing people to leave and go home?
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
I was reading the press releases from Mr. Bell, the acting chief of the Ottawa Police Service. On February 12, he said that he had a plan, and he seemed to be satisfied with it. He said that there was a reduction in the number of protesters and that people were starting to leave the area. You were there.
What was that plan, on February 12?
Commr Brenda Lucki
On February 12, the original plan was presented to Chief Sloly.
I'm looking at some of my dates, and it wasn't until close to February 16 and 17 that we started initial plans of providing people with the option to leave, moving forward, and going into each sector of the downtown core.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
The plan, then, was established on February 12 or 13 and was carried out on February 15 and 16.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
You therefore simply continued to implement the plan.
Commr Brenda Lucki
We had to gather additional resources. Once we look at the plan and the plan is approved, with that plan comes additional human resources. We had to get the human resources into the downtown of Ottawa.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
The plan, then, was established on February 12, and additional resources were needed, which arrived on February 14 or 15, and that is when you carried it out.
Commr Brenda Lucki
The ICC was established on February 12. The planning team cell was put together. By the 15th, the plan had been established with the resources, and then we were bringing the resources into the Ottawa core. It was around the 17th when we started providing warnings to the protesters to vacate the national capital region. As well, we had the OPS and other law forces secure a perimeter, and that's when the arrests began.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
When you established the plan, on February 12 or 13, how many police services did you expect to have to help you?
D/Commr Michael Duheme
Madam Chair, to answer Senator Carignan's question, I don't have the exact number of police forces who provided assistance. However, I can provide some information about the law enforcement troops, the people who are in uniform from head to toe and wear a helmet. We needed 14 troops to help us manage the situation. Those troops came from across Canada, delaying the execution of the plan, which took place on Thursday, February 17, as the commissioner said. That was when we began increasing the frequency of our warnings to the people who were occupying the downtown.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
Okay, but the initial plan on February 12 was carried out.
D/Commr Michael Duheme
On February 12, it was being prepared, and it changed as the situation evolved. I can't say with certainty that the plan from February 12 was carried out because it changed continually based on the situation and the troops we had.
Senator, Quebec (Mille Isles), C
Okay.
Mr. Beaudoin appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on March 7. He said that the RCMP gave the banks a document that could describe “previous police dealings, or whether they were suspected in other crimes or were witnesses in other crimes or different types of dealings.”
Can you tell us what information was provided to the banks other than the simple fact that the people in question were taking part in an illegal occupation?
