That's correct.
Evidence of meeting #9 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 laws.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #9 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 laws.
A video is available from Parliament.
9 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That's correct.
9 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Some towing companies in this city were actually receiving death threats if they dared to tow some of the immobilized trucks. Is that correct?
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I can't speak to that as a matter of fact.
9:05 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay. The House of Commons statement, under section 58, references death threats being uttered.
9:05 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Officers were provided, but what this tool—the Emergencies Act—gave you was the ability to swear in those officers very rapidly. Instead of taking days, it took minutes to swear them in en masse.
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That's correct.
9:05 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Green had put to you this idea about supply chains. Another component, which I don't think you addressed with Mr. Naqvi, was that the Emergencies Act powers gave you the ability to not only freeze assets but also disrupt supply chains by preventing people from giving fuel to stationary trucks that were idling outside of Parliament.
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That's correct.
9:05 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
It also gave the government the ability to stop the flow of people coming up here for the purposes of protesting, not just into this area but actually into this country, including people who might have participated in the January 6 insurrection in the United States.
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That's correct.
9:05 p.m.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
That gave the ability, from a law enforcement perspective, to reduce the number of people who are actually participating in the illegal blockade, which allows you to have a more reasoned and pragmatic logistical approach. You know how many people are there. Therefore, you know how many officers you need to execute a safe and non-violent removal of the blockade. Is that correct?
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Yes. Indeed, some trucks left Ottawa after those financial orders were put in place.
9:05 p.m.
NDP
9:05 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is for you again, Mr. Stewart.
I heard what you said about the tow trucks. If I understand correctly, their contracts allow them to refuse or to not refuse—that point isn't clear—to do the work. One thing is certain, however: they did it.
To your knowledge, were there any sanctions for the tow truck operators, such as cancelling contracts, fining them, or other penalties?
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I don't know anything about that.
9:05 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Do you know whether the tow trucks that towed the trucks were in fact Canadian?
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I don't know.
9:05 p.m.
Bloc
The Joint Chair Bloc Rhéal Fortin
Did you sign a document to order the tow trucks to come to Wellington Street and tow the trucks?
9:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Do you want to know whether I did it myself?
