The Public Order Emergency Commission to study Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s implementation of the Emergencies Act will begin Thursday..Over the course of six weeks, cabinet members, city of Ottawa officials, Freedom Convoy organizers and the prime minister himself will testify in front of the commission..The Emergencies Act, declared on February 14 for the first time in Canadian history, gave the federal government sweeping powers to end the protests that had taken over downtown Ottawa for several weeks. It also gave the government the power to freeze protestor's bank accounts and force tow truck drivers to clear vehicles from the city's streets..The commission, led by Paul Rouleau, will call upon several Liberal cabinet ministers to testify. These include Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Defence Minister Anita Anand, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, Justice Minister David Lametti, and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc..The upper ranks of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police and Windsor Police will testify, as will regular police officers present during the protest..Former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, who stepped down from his position a few weeks into the Freedom Convoy, will also speak, as will intermin Police Chief Steve Bell and Deputy Police Chief Patricia Ferguson..From the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, City Manager Steve Kanellakos, and city councilors Catherine McKenny, Mathieu Fleury and Diane Deans will also testify. McKenney and Fleury’s wards were impacted the most by the protests, while Deans was chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board until being voted out mid-February..Freedom Convoy organizers Chris Barber, Pat King, Tom Marazzo, Benjamin Dichter, and Tamara Lich will also testify..In total, 65 people are set to speak before the Public Order Emergency Commission. Michael Tansey, a spokesman for the commission, said the witness list is not set in stone and could be changed..The hearings are set to wrap up on November 25. The commission has until mid-February to deliver its report.
