Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland Testifies on ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Emergency Act Probe

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is next on a list of witnesses to a hearing investigating the federal government’s decision to invoke emergency legislation in response to weeks of protests last winter.

Freeland, who is also the Federal Treasurer, was the leader of emergency economic powers given to banks and other financial institutions to freeze the accounts of participants in the “Freedom Convoy.”

The Public Order Emergency Committee is reviewing the events that led to the declaration of a federal emergency on February 14th. This comes weeks after protests that clogged downtown Ottawa and halted Canadian-US trade at several border crossings.

Freeland is the seventh minister to testify this week before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concludes hearings on Friday.

Three senior Trudeau officials, including Chief of Staff Katie Telford, are expected to run after lawyers finish questioning Freeland.

Commissioner Paul Rouleau plans to submit a final report to Congress early next year.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on November 24, 2022.