Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has proposed to employ the RCMP to enforce local bylaws in the event of an Emergencies Act invocation. “The Government of Canada must have the capacity to respond to future emergencies swiftly and proportionally,” said a Cabinet report obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter. “Future governments must have at their disposal a full range of tools.”At the time the War Measures (Emergencies) Act was invoked, Trudeau Liberals claimed it was powerless to enforce ordinary bylaws due to a shortage of municipal tow trucks..The motion to federalize bylaw enforcement in the case of national emergency comes after the Federal Court ruled Trudeau’s February 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act during the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa was unlawful and unnecessary. On January 23, a federal judge ruled Trudeau breached constitutional rights when he declared a national emergency to deal with the truckers’ blockade. .Despite the court ruling, Trudeau’s administration still claims the emergency powers were justified against the COVID-19 mandate protesters and has filed an appeal. Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, among others, have filed a lawsuit against Trudeau and his Liberal government. “It is not possible to fully anticipate and prepare for every single unusual combination of circumstances that could lead to a potential emergency event,” wrote Cabinet in the document, titled Response To The Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC). “The Government of Canada agrees swift accreditation processes are beneficial for police from different jurisdictions or levels of policing to work together in the event of an emergency,” wrote ministers in the report. .Then-Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino testified April 26, 2022 at the Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency that when his government moved to employ – and even attempt to compel – tow truckers to move the trucks out of the Ottawa downtown core, “no tow trucks were available.”“The police wouldn’t do it,” said Mendicino. That’s why we decided to invoke the Emergencies Act.”Mendicino’s claim was rebuked by committee members.“I found two trucks for sale in Auto Hebdo magazine,” said Senator Claude Carignan. “You could have bought some.”“Why was it necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act in order to remove the vehicles?” asked Senator Carignan. “That situation still leaves me speechless.”.On February 9, 2022, Trudeau called Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford and confirmed Ottawa found the situation with the truckers in Ottawa to be hopeless. “We’ll all have to figure out what to do with these tow trucks,” said Trudeau to Ford. .Meanwhile, the Government of Alberta responded to a border blockade at Coutts by buying $826,000 worth of towing equipment at Kijiji and Truck Trader magazine.“This was the exact equipment we were told by the RCMP that they required if they were to execute an enforcement plan and tow all the vehicles at the border crossing,” Alberta Assistant Deputy Public Safety Minister Marlin Degrand testified November 11 at the Public Order Emergency Commission.“It was procured over a couple of days,” said Degrand.
