Senior police officers will continue their testimony at the federal inquiry investigating how the government used the Emergencies Act on Wednesday morning.
Supt. Robert Bernier said he would have carried out a planned police action even if the law had not been used. Bernier managed the Ottawa police command centre for a section of the “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations in February.
He added that because police had already gathered 34 tow trucks with willing drivers, he didn’t need the federal government to order truck drivers to remove vehicles that were in the downtown area.
But during a commission interview, Bernier also mentioned that the emergency declaration might have persuaded demonstrators to avoid downtown Ottawa and be more cooperative with police.
The refusal of tow truck drivers to assist in removing the hundreds of automobiles obstructing the roadways around Parliament Hill, according to Ottawa police, was one of their obstacles in ending the protests.
The Emergencies Act, which was invoked on Feb. 14, granted temporary and extraordinary powers to police and governments to end the demonstrations, allowing police and city officials to commandeer tow trucks to move big rigs and other vehicles..
Continued testimony from senior police personnel at the Emergencies Act inquiry
About Author
