A justice from Ontario’s Appeal Court will oversee a public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act.
It was invoked back on February 14th and it granted temporary powers to police to clear protests in Ottawa and a blockade at the international bridge in Windsor.
Justice Paul Rouleau will have to provide a report by February 20th of next year.
Marco Mendicino is the Minister of Public Safety.
“We’re looking forward to co-operating with Justice Rouleau to make ensure he has the access to the information, including classified documents, so that he can do his job,” stated Mendicino.
“One of the hallmarks of this public inquiry is that he will have the capacity to function independently, impartially from the government,” added Mendicino. “And it’s one of the reasons why the government chose to make this a fully blown, public inquiry so he has the independence to make those decisions.
At the same time, there is also a parliamentary committee that is reviewing the use of the Emergencies Act.
NDP MP Matthew Green is the co-chair of the committee.
“And I think that there are some concerns about information and how it will be conducted to the public, what’s held in cabinet confidence and what is going to be made available to help Canadians better understand just how we got into the situation we got into.”
