A panel of officials from the Privy Council Office, including Canada’s top civil servant, is expected to testify today at a public inquiry evaluating the federal government’s use of the emergency law last winter. The Public Order Emergency Committee is scrutinizing the events and advice that led to the mid-February decision, which came nearly three weeks after the Freedom Accord protests took over downtown Ottawa and blocked border crossings. The day is expected to begin with testimony from Deputy Cabinet Secretary Jacqueline Bogden and Jeffrey Hutchinson, a senior adviser in her office. Privy Council Clerk Janice Charette and Deputy Clerk Nathalie Drouin are scheduled to give evidence after that. Charette is mandated to act as a non-partisan adviser to the prime minister and is at the top of the federal civil service. Security officials and federal cabinet members, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are expected to testify next week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 18, 2022.
