Emergencies Act inquiry proves the system works
Justice Paul Rouleau is now sifting through a mountain of evidence, and will soon deliver his verdict on the use of the federal Emergencies Act. But whatever his findings, the one thing his commission proved beyond doubt is that Canada's democracy and freedom are strong and abiding, contrary to what convoy protesters say.
A central theme of the trucker protesters was that freedom in Canada was imperilled, and they had to rise and defend it. And as the protesters plan an encore, you'll hear this again and again. It was a hollow claim to begin with, but after the extraordinary appearance of the entire edifice of the Canadian government at the Public Order Emergency Commission inquiry, we can firmly banish that notion. Canadian freedom is stronger than ever.
Whatever your view of what the federal government did, and whatever you take from the hearings, there can be no denying that what happened in Ottawa is a testament to the enduring strength of Canadian democracy and freedom. The sight of senior public servants, political advisers, cabinet ministers and the prime minister baring their souls, answering questions under oath in front of the country and the world, puts the lie to the idea that Canadian freedom is under threat. In open hearings, we heard and read the behind-thescene emails and text messages of our top decision-makers, seeing how their minds were working in real time as they tried to deal with the crisis in the capital and on our borders.
It was unreal. Name me one country anywhere that has the confidence and belief in its democratic process to open itself to such searing examination.
We watched Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answer questions not only from commission lawyers, but endure grilling from partisans, including the very people who laid siege to the capital and blocked our borders. The convoy protesters talk about lack of freedom and yet, there their lawyers were, cross-examining Trudeau, his ministers and senior advisers on their decision-making. That's freedom. If there is a freer country that will dare expose its government to such scrutiny, name it.
If there is a freer country that will dare expose its government to such scrutiny, name it.
The protesters said they were fighting for freedom and wanted to be heard. Actually, they were not interested in political engagement. All they were about was intimidation, an attempt to bully the government and the rest of us into doing what this minority wanted. Trudeau was right. They didn't want to be heard; they wanted to impose their will on us. It is good that we had a government that stood tough.
What the so-called “Freedom Convoy” did was poison our political discourse and make threats of violence into their default means of protest. We can't just disagree on issues; we have to threaten those we disagree with. That is the legacy of the convoy, and it is manifesting itself around the country, the latest example being what happened at an Ottawa school board meeting on mask mandates.
The Ottawa English public school board was debating a motion to mandate masks in schools, but instead of a civil debate, an unruly group disrupted the meeting, forcing it to move online. When debate eventually resumed, opponents of mask mandates won on a tie in a free vote. Democracy actually works, if you give it a chance.
The convoy came to Ottawa ostensibly to protest, but in reality to bring the country to its knees. The government handled the situation without the kind of violence we are seeing every day in other countries. And to ensure accountability, we subjected the government to the most rigorous scrutiny. Now that convoy organizers are said to be planning another protest, let's reaffirm how strong our democratic values are. As the country waits for Rouleau to deliver his verdict on whether the government was right or wrong to invoke the Emergencies Act, we can look back and say our democracy was tested, but it passed with flying colours.
Whatever Rouleau decides, let no one say that Canada is not a free country.