Ottawa police say they didn’t ask for the Emergencies Act as liberals defend its use

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OTTAWA – With another police chief saying they didn’t ask for the federal government’s Emergencies Act, Liberal cabinet ministers continue to insist the move was necessary to clear the Freedom Convoy from the streets of Ottawa.

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Convoy protests blocked off large swathes of downtown Ottawa for weeks earlier this year. This included Wellington Street, which runs opposite Parliament Hill and was blocked by lorries.

A parliamentary committee is weighing whether Wellington Street and other nearby streets currently under the jurisdiction of the city of Ottawa should be left to the federal government.

Speaking in that committee on Tuesday, Conservative MP Andrew Scheer asked Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell if he had directly asked the government to invoke the Emergencies Act.

Bell said they didn’t ask for the act.

“We participate in conversations with our partners and with the political ministries. We did not make a direct request for the Emergencies Law.”

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Scheer also questioned why police forces, politicians and the media had used the term occupation, noting that the protesters did not break into any buildings.

Bell said the group did not take over any buildings, but also told Scheer that he should not minimize what happened.

“That was not part of what we saw. What we did see was, we actually saw the streets busy with trucks, vehicles, people that were terrorizing our community,” she said. “It is important that we try not to minimize the impact.”

Bell is the second police officer to confirm that his force did not request the invocation of the Emergencies Act, after RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki revealed the same detail last week to another parliamentary committee studying the invocation of the law.

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Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said police forces told them they needed powers to protect, powers contained in the law.

“We explored specific examples of what those powers might look like and sought advice from law enforcement. They gave us feedback on precisely what those powers were and following that advice, we invoked the Emergencies Law.”

Mendicino said in an interview that police forces were overwhelmed and highlighted a letter from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police that spoke of the need for the law.

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“This was unprecedented in terms of what was in the way of a law enforcement emergency, as unprecedented means there is no other example.”

To underscore that point, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Michael Duheme was asked by Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen about a restraint and security order placed on the premises during the protest.

Duheme said that had never happened before.

The question of what happens to the precinct now that the convoy has left is supposed to be the main focus of the committee. Some have already called on the federal government to take over Wellington Street, including policing and security.

Months after the convoy’s departure, Wellington Street is still closed to most traffic, with only House of Commons vehicles and deliveries allowed to use the route.

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Bell said that if the street is transferred to the federal government, there will have to be clear lines of authority and rules for cooperation. Long before the convoy, Ottawa police have used dump trucks and large snowplows to act as roadblocks. Bell said it’s time for a less ad hoc approach.

“There are various infrastructure investments like bollards around the streets that can easily limit the movement of vehicles through different areas that I hope will be a key and important part of this,” he said.

The government is planning a massive refurbishment of several buildings facing Parliament Hill, eventually moving some MPs and senators to new offices there.

Public Services Minister Filomena Tassi said that up to 50 percent of parliamentarians will eventually work in those new buildings.

She said that Wellington Street has long been the border between Parliament and the rest of Ottawa, but after this change it will essentially cut through it.

He did not reveal a specific opinion on the issue of expanding the venue, but said it might be time to address many issues.

“With a new sense of urgency to address security on the precinct, there is an opportunity to address long-standing issues related to governance more broadly.”

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