Premier Doug Ford called to testify at Emergencies Act inquiry
CBC
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been summoned to testify at the inquiry looking into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in response to the protest convoy that descended on Ottawa and a number of border crossings last winter.
Ford and Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones — who was the province's solicitor general during the protests — have been asked by the commission to appear a number of times, according to a letter from the commission's legal counsel which was provided to CBC.
"It was our hope that Premier Ford and Minister Jones would agree to appear before the Commission voluntarily," the letter reads.
"However, given that the repeated invitations were all declined, the Commission has issued summons this day to Premier Ford and Minister Jones."
The letter contradicts what Ford has said in recent weeks when asked why he wouldn't be testifying.
"I have not been asked," Ford told reporters during an unrelated press conference last week.
On Feb. 14, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the convoy protest's occupation of downtown Ottawa. That gave authorities new powers to freeze the finances of those connected to blockades and protests, ban travel to protest zones, prohibit people from bringing minors to unlawful assemblies and commandeer tow trucks.
The commission has been directed to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration of a public emergency, including the actions of police prior to and after the declaration.