Final report from Emergencies Act inquiry being released today

Today, the Public Order Emergency Commission's final report on the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act is being made public. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair is set to table the report in the House of Commons at noon, at which time it will become public.

Today, the Public Order Emergency Commission's final report into the "appropriateness and effectiveness" of the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act is being made public.

Sparked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision last year to declare a national public order emergency granting unprecedented federal powers to bring an end to the "Freedom Convoy" anti-COVID-19 restriction and anti-government protests and blockades, the release of the report marks the end of a months-long national inquiry into the historic series of events.

The Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC), led by long-time judge Paul Rouleau, had a deadline of Feb. 20 to present the report to Parliament, but with the House and Senate not sitting next week, it is coming out a few days early.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair will be tabling the report in the House of Commons at noon, at which time it will become public.

"We invoked the Emergencies Act to help bring last year’s illegal blockades and occupations to an end, protect communities and jobs, while respecting Canadians’ right to peaceful protest," Blair said announcing the rollout plan.

The invocation allowed the federal government to enact wide-sweeping but temporary powers to help officials crack down on protesters' access to funds, grant the RCMP jurisdiction to enforce local laws, designate critical infrastructure and services, and impose fines and imprisonment on participants who refused to leave the protest zones.

On Feb. 23, once large-scale police operations took place resulting in numerous arrests, the laying of hundreds of charges, and the clearing of blockades and rows of transport trucks in the capital—Trudeau announced the revocation of the extraordinary national powers, saying that the situation was "no longer an emergency."