Emergency powers were never needed to tow vehicles parked outside Parliament, a police commander testified at the Freedom Convoy inquiry. The sworn testimony directly contradicted claims by Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino..“There was a solution,” said Carson Pardy, now-retired chief superintendent with the Ontario Provincial Police. The Emergencies Act was not required, said Pardy. “In my humble opinion we would have reached the same solution with the plan we had,” he added..According to Blacklock's Reporter, Supt. Pardy led a joint police planning group that attempted to diffuse protests. “Ottawa is renowned for almost daily protests of some sort,” said Pardy. He added the Freedom Convoy was “one of a kind.".Cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act February 14 on claims police needed and sought extraordinary powers to remove protesters and their trucks. Pardy denied both claims under questioning from Frank Au, counsel for the Public Order Emergency Commission..Pardy claimed they could have still towed vehicles without the Emergencies Act. "We tow vehicles every day for different things. We have laws under the Highway Traffic Act. We have common law authorities we use on a regular basis," he said..When Pardy was asked whether the Emergencies Act was necessary to end the protest, he replied that was a "loaded question."."I’m a police officer. Parliament gives us legislation. We don’t make legislation. They provide it to us, and we use it," he said.."In your view, was there a police solution to the demonstration?" Au asked.."A police solution? There was a solution," Pardy responded..Mendicino in testimony last April 26 at the Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency claimed police needed the Emergencies Act to tow trucks. Mendicino also said police asked cabinet to invoke the Act, a claim debunked by all police involved with the Freedom Convoy..“It was on the advice of non-partisan professional law enforcement that existing authorities were ineffective,” said Mendicino, adding police were unable to tow convoy vehicles. “No tow trucks were available. The police couldn’t do it. That’s why we decided to invoke the Emergencies Act.”.Senator Claude Carignan (Que.) challenged Mendicino. “I found two trucks for sale in Auto Hebdo magazine,” said Carignan. “You could have bought some.”.“Why was it necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act in order to remove the vehicles?” asked Carignan. “That situation still leaves me speechless.”.Carignan noted under the Highway Traffic Act section 134.1 any constable among “one of the many police officers there” could have ordered removal of the freight trucks parked outside Parliament.
