Ottawa truckers protest: CSIS feared extremist violence

But the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, could not provide specific examples to support his remarks, citing classified information.

We saw a number of individuals, who worried the CSISCanadian Security Intelligence Service before the convoy, be recruited online and also in person in the context of the convoyVigneault said during his testimony before a special joint committee investigating the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in February in response to protests that occupied downtown Washington. Ottawa for several weeks.

The concern we had with this convoy, both at the beginning and throughout, was the fact that we have seen in Canada, in other jurisdictions, violent extremists using these kinds of protests to engage in of violence, to recruit members and to be able to spread their ideology further.

the CSISCanadian Security Intelligence Service was also concerned about the risk of seeing lone wolvesspontaneously engaging in acts of violenceadded Mr. Vigneault.

That’s what we were focusing our activities on during the convoy and providing information to law enforcement.

The Act, never used before, granted temporary powers to law enforcement to deal with blockades and protests against pandemic-related health restrictions. It assesses an emergency situation eligible for its application as something that stems from threats to the security of Canada.

Mr. Vigneault explained that every day his agency discovers and investigates threats to the security of Canada, including an increase in violent and anti-authority rhetoric, especially regarding public health measures.

According to him, the CSISCanadian Security Intelligence Service was well aware of opportunities than large gatherings and demonstrations offer for acts of violence and for recruitment to Ideologically Driven Violent Extremism (DVE), a term used by the agency to cover a variety of grievances, including far-right, anti-authority, and anti-government groups and racists.

One of his department’s concerns was the memorandum of understanding issued by Canada Unityone of the groups organizing the convoy, calling on the Governor General and the Senate to form a new government with the protesters themselves.

Our assessment of this manifesto was obviously quick to worrysaid Mr. Vigneault.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Brenda Lucki told the committee that the RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police had provided additional protection to the Governor General, Mary Simonas a result of this memorandum of understanding.

Not a failure of the police, according to the commissioner of the RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police

The Emergency Measures Act allowed access to protest areas to be barred, to prevent participants from bringing minors to unlawful assemblies and authorized banks to freeze the accounts of some of those involved. It also allowed the RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police enforce municipal by-laws and invoke provincial offenses when necessary.

At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued that its use was necessary to deal with serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law.

But that reasoning was questioned by the opposition and other critics who questioned whether other measures, including police tactics, could have been used.

Ms. Lucki explained that she participated in conversations about the possibility of invoking the Emergencies Act before it was finally done on February 14, but she said she never asked for it to be put in place.

When repeatedly questioned about why the police could not act sooner, she indicated that the Act gave her officers, as well as those of the Ottawa police, different options to actions, such as requiring tow trucks to help move vehicles.

It was a different kind of protest, people weren’t leavingshe recalled.

Furthermore, during her appearance, the Commissioner of the RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police also revealed that powers granted to police by the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act have not been used to clear blockages at Canadian border crossings.

A senator questions the decisions of the police

Ms. Lucki said she does not think the event was a failure of the police, although several senators and deputies on the committee have suggested otherwise.

In my opinion, the actions of the police prior to the invocation of the Act demonstrated a series of failures, not deliberate failures, but the inability of the police to contain and act appropriately to control the occupation here in Ottawasaid the senator Peter Harder. I find it surprising that you say there was no police failure in these incidents.

Tuesday’s committee is separate from an inquiry, led by former Ontario Superior Court judge Paul Rouleau, which will examine the events that led to the invocation of the Emergencies Act and who should make recommendations.

With information from Catharine Tunney of The Canadian Newsand The Canadian Press