The RCMP mocked former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney for saying the Freedom Convoy was seditious, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .“This is sedition,” said Carney in a Globe and Mail op-ed. .“That’s a word I never thought I’d use in Canada.”.The op-ed was called It’s Time To End The Sedition In Ottawa. Carney said sedition “means incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.”.His definition of sedition appears to be a cut and paste from the American Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The RCMP cited the definition from the Criminal Code of Canada, which is anyone who “teaches or advocates or publishes or circulates any writing that advocates the use of force without authority of law as a means of accomplishing a governmental change within Canada.”.“The key bit is ‘use of force,’” said an RCMP officer. .“I’m all about a resolution to this and a forceful one with us victorious, but from the facts on the ground, I don’t know we’re there except in a small number of cases.”.Another RCMP officer agreed. .“It would be a stretch to say the trucks barricading the streets and the air horns blaring at whatever decibels for however many days constitute the ‘use of force,” said the officer. .No Freedom Convoy protestor was charged with sedition. Of the 230 protestors arrested, a total 119 of them were charged, often with mischief. .Allegations were spread throughout, including the case of a St. Catharines, ON, man accused of mischief based on Facebook posts. The Ontario Court of Justice dismissed the Facebook charge on November 3. .Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to respond to the Freedom Convoy in February. .READ MORE: UPDATED: Trudeau invokes the Emergencies Act in Canada.Trudeau said it had become clear there were serious challenges for authorities to enforce the law. .“After discussing with cabinet and caucus, after consultation with premiers from all provinces and territories, after speaking with opposition leaders, the federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act to supplement provincial and territorial capacity to address the blockades and occupations,” he said.
