Alberta, Ontario civil servants testifying in an investigation into the emergency law

Ontario’s Attorney General will conclude his testimony this morning at a public inquiry into the federal government’s unprecedented use of the emergency law.

Mario Di Tomaso made a brief appearance on Wednesday and told the commission that after the first weekend of ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests in Ottawa, he realized it had ‘turned into an occupation’.

However, his testimony was interrupted when the lawyer who was seeing him suffered a medical emergency and first responders were called.

Following Di Tomaso’s testimony, Merlin Degrand, a senior Alberta civil servant, will be asked to speak about the protests near the border in Alberta.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergency Act for the first time in Canada’s history on February 14, arguing that temporary and special powers were needed to end the lockdown at Ottawa and the border crossing.

The Public Order Emergency Committee is investigating the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the law and is holding hearings in Ottawa through November 25.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on November 10, 2022.