Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro says the UCP will review the Emergencies Act Report released by the Public Order Emergency Commission and the federal government should do the same..“Alberta’s government maintains the federal government’s consultation with provinces was inadequate and that unnecessarily invoking the Emergencies Act set a dangerous precedent," Shandro said.."The decision to invoke the act violated the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Albertans and gave the federal government the ability to seize property without due process of law.".On Friday, the Public Order Emergency Commission determined the federal government met the “very high threshold” for invoking the never-before-used Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy protest, which had “descended into lawlessness, culminating in a national emergency.”.READ MORE: Commissioner finds Liberals met threshold for invoking Emergencies Act for Freedom Convoy.“It is only in rare instances, when the state cannot otherwise fulfill its fundamental obligation to ensure the safety and security of people and property, that resort to emergency measures will be found to be appropriate,” Commissioner Paul Rouleau said in the executive summary of the report..Shandro said as a result, the conclusion reached by the inquiry does not affect Alberta’s decision to participate in legal challenges initiated against the federal government by the Canadian Constitution Foundation and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association last year..“The 56 recommendations in the report show there were many issues with the way the federal government used the Emergencies Act," Shandro said.."My department will be reviewing the report and its recommendations, and I call on the federal government to do the same.".In the report released Friday, Rouleau summarized the Freedom Convoy — formed in response to cross-border vaccine mandates for truck drivers — as a movement in which simmering social, political and economic grievances were exacerbated by the pandemic, shaped by complex misinformation and disinformation online, and “unleashed in a torrent of political protest and social unrest.”.Rouleau said this was “not entirely unpredictable,” as pandemics are often accompanied by a surge in civil unrest. He said had various police forces and levels of government prepared for events of this type and responded differently to the situation that arose, “the emergency that Canada ultimately faced could have likely been avoided.”.“One thing is clear: the federal government must involve provinces and territories in the decision-making process for future emergencies," Shandro said..Shandro said he believes matters like infrastructure, policing and the economy have provincial impacts and "Alberta must have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect the province and its people.".“I will continue to be a voice for the priorities, interests and concerns of Alberta and to protect Albertans’ freedoms from federal government intrusions," Shandro said.
