In a direct contradiction of Liberal claims, the RCMP say police never asked the government to bring in the Emergencies Act to deal with the Freedom Convoy protests, Mounties said Tuesday night..Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino repeatedly said cabinet was “acting on the advice of law enforcement” in taking emergency measures against the Freedom Convoy..“We’re not in the position to provide influence on the government as to when and where they invoke a certain act,” said RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki..Testifying at the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, Lucki denied police recommended cabinet declare a national emergency..“We’ve heard multiple times from ministers and others the Emergencies Act and the tools provided were specifically requested by police leadership,” said Sen. Vernon White (Ont.), former Ottawa police chief..“As a law enforcement agency with primacy for national security did you ask the government or representatives for invocation of the Emergencies Act?”:.Commissioner Lucki: “No there was never question of requesting the Emergencies Act.”Sen. White: “So you never asked for it. Do you know of any other police leadership that specifically asked the government for the invocation?”Commissioner Lucki: “No.”.Cabinet invoked the Act for nine days, from February 14 to 23. Police were granted extraordinary powers to ban public assemblies and blacklist bank account holders suspected of sympathizing with the Freedom Convoy..A total 230 people were arrested, mainly charged with mischief. Some $7.8 million in bank and credit union accounts belonging to convoy sympathizers were frozen..Mendicino stated at least 11 times cabinet was acting on police advice..“We invoked the act because it was the advice of non-partisan professional law enforcement,” Mendicino testified at an April 26 committee hearing..Mendicino also told the Commons:.“We are listening to law enforcement” (February 21)“According to law enforcement we still need the Emergencies Act” (February 21)“We had to invoke the Emergencies Act and we did so on the basis of non-partisan professional advice from law enforcement” (February 28)“It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act” (April 28)“We invoked the Emergencies Act after we received advice from law enforcement” (May 3)..Lucki said the RCMP’s role consisted of daily factual reports to cabinet aides on the Freedom Convoy blockade..“Did you offer any advice to the Minister of Public Safety?” asked Conservative MP Glen Motz (Medicine Hat-Cardston, Alta.)..“I can’t speak specifically to any advice that was done in cabinet but what I can say is each and every day I provided situational reports,” replied Lucki..White pressed the Commissioner on whether emergency powers were necessary to end the truckers’ blockade outside Parliament..“Could you have removed them without the invocation?” asked White..“It’s really not up to me to speak to hypotheticals or speculate,” replied Lucki..“It wasn’t hypothetical, it was real,” said White..“You would have had a plan. Could you have removed that occupation without the Emergencies Act?”.Replied Lucki: “It’s very speculative.”
