Public hearings of the Freedom Convoy inquiry will be livestreamed on the internet for all Canadians to see, regardless of whether TV networks broadcast proceedings. Internet publication of cabinet secrets is still under review, said the Public Order Emergency Commission..“Yes, the Commission plans to stream all its public hearings,” said Michael Tansey, spokesperson for the Commission..According to Blacklock's Reporter, the hearings will get underway after Labour Day on why cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act to end protests against vaccine mandates..“We are continuing to work with all parties granted standing including the federal government in obtaining relevant documents,” said Tansey. “This includes cabinet documents.”.“The Commission has not made any decisions on how it will handle cabinet documents,” said Tansey. Blacklock’s had asked whether the records would be published on the internet for the general public to read..Commission counsel in a June 28 statement called the release of confidential cabinet papers an “exceptional step” in unraveling the declaration of a national emergency last February 14. “This exceptional step recognizes the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work,” said counsel..“I am committed to ensuring the inquiry will be fair and open,” Justice Paul Rouleau, head of the inquiry, said earlier. Hearings must proceed “in a timely and orderly way,” he said..“The Commission will have to complete its hearings and fact-finding process by the end of October,” wrote staff. A final report to cabinet is due February 6 before it is released to Parliament..Emergency orders enforced from last February 14 to 23 saw the freezing of a total $7.8 million worth of bank and credit union deposits belonging to Freedom Convoy sympathizers. Some 230 protesters were arrested, typically on charges of mischief..Cabinet to date has not disclosed evidence the truckers’ protest posed a threat to national security. “Yes, the evidence exists,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the Commons April 28..Numerous allegations against the Freedom Convoy have been disproved including a March 19 Toronto Star claim that “loaded shotguns were found” inside protesters’ vehicles, a March 11 CBC News claim that “total economic damage” was up to $200 million, a February 16 claim by Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair that the protest was “largely foreign funded” and a February 7 Global News story suggesting protesters attempted to burn down an Ottawa apartment building..“The core threat was to the Canadian economy, our reputation,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland testified June 14 at the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency. “There were two types of impact, first of all on the broader Ottawa region and secondly on the reputation of Canada as a politically stable state,” added Freeland.
