OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Recently revealed notes show that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had claimed his government’s use of the Emergencies Act (EA) to stop the Freedom Convoy did “not” result in the suspension of civil liberties, despite evidence to the contrary.
The recently revealed remarks were made by Trudeau on September 9, and come from a meeting he had with six lawyers from the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC), the committee tasked with investigating Trudeau’s use of the EA.
A detailed interview summary of the meeting, as unveiled by Blacklock’s Reporter, record Trudeau as saying that “since the invocation of the Emergencies Act there have been people spreading the message the government suspended civil liberties, used violence against peaceful protesters and suspended democracy.”
The meeting minutes state that according to Trudeau, these things “did not happen.”
“There are those who take this message as confirmation the government is illegitimate and treasonous,” added the notes.
Despite Trudeau’s remarks, under the EA the government was able to expand its powers in unprecedented fashion, which included the seizing of some $8 million from the bank accounts of 267 different people without a court order, as well as the arresting of large numbers of people due to the act’s ability to increase police presence and resources.
One protester, an elderly lady, was trampled by a police horse, and one conservative female reporter was beaten by police and shot with a tear gas cannister.
The invocation of the EA caused top legal groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), to decry the measure as “seriously infringe[ing] the Charter rights of Canadians.”
After the inquiry into the use of the EA by the POEC had finished, CCLA doubled down on its stance that Trudeau’s actions were unjustified, saying the threshold for the implementation of the act was not met.
With the hearings having concluded on November 25, the POEC also concluded last week the pubic policy phase of its inquiry, which convened roundtables of “experts” tasked with recommending potential amendments to existing legislation related to the Freedom Convoy.
The Commission is now tasked with releasing a report to Canada’s parliament and Senate about its findings and recommendations by February 20, 2023.