Freedom Convoy organizers were complying with a city agreement to move the protestors trucks on the same day the Liberal government declared a national emergency, a public inquiry was told yesterday. Ottawa City Manager Steve Kanellakos testified he was given no warning cabinet would invoke the Emergencies Act..“Events kind of overtook things,” said Kanellakos. He said the agreement with protesters followed six days of negotiations. “This was a relief for us, for me, when I first initiated it,” he said..According to Blacklock's Reporter, the testimony contradicted cabinet claims that only the Emergencies Act could persuade protesters to withdraw from Ottawa neighbourhoods. “It is now clear there are serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters February 14 in declaring a national emergency. “This is about keeping people safe.”.Kanellakos said on February 8 he was first contacted by municipal police “to discuss opening up some line of communications with the protest leaders.” Kanellakos said he spoke with Freedom Convoy organizers and notified the federal Department of Public Safety that negotiations were underway “about what the terms would be of them moving the trucks and the conditions under which that would happen.”.The agreement was finalized on February 13 but not made public at the time, one day before cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act. “We wanted to get this going as fast as possible,” testified Kanellakos. “It could be characterized as negotiations,” he added..Kanellakos said the following day, February 14, the Freedom Convoy began to move a large number of trucks, between 40 and 100, from neighbourhood streets and concentrate the protest outside Parliament as requested by police. “They did move a number of heavy trucks,” said Kanellakos. “I think the count was around 40 but that’s still in dispute and a number of light trucks also left and we ended up clearing a number of streets.”.“The Ottawa Police Service did say the agreement could ease tensions, is that right?” asked Brendan Miller, lawyer for the Freedom Convoy. “Yes,” replied Kanellakos..“It’s true that on February 14 the protesters began to move trucks with the support of Ottawa Police Service, is that right?” asked Counsel Miller. “They did that Monday morning, they started, yes,” replied Kanellakos..No reason was given why cabinet pre-empted the successful negotiations with the Emergencies Act. Manager Kanellakos testified from the beginning of the protest he did not consider it extremely violent or dangerous..“Was that first weekend managed perfectly? They never are,” he said. “Were there incidents? There always are. Was there any extreme violence or anybody seriously injured? No.”
