In speaking notes prepared for RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for a Feb. 20 meeting with federal cabinet ministers and senior security officials, she argued against repealing the legislation, which had granted officers emergency powers. “As far as Ottawa and Ontario are concerned, there is an operational need to maintain access to these powers to ensure we can finish what we started and prevent any reintegration. Even for the next 2-3 weeks,” the notes said by Lucki. “Withdrawing or withdrawing the act now will send a strong message to protesters.” Lucki notes that the powers given to police by the Emergency Act – such as the ability to compel lorries to move vehicles, freeze certain bank accounts and impose a ban on bringing minors into protest zones – have been useful. According to the notes, Luki feared the protesters would return. “Some protesters are inside the red zone at the hotels and have indicated to the police that they are not leaving,” the document said. “It is too early to revoke the emergency law.” Brian Clough, one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy chiefs of staff, said Thursday that was the RCMP’s opinion until those emergency powers were revoked on Feb. 23, nine days after the emergency law was activated. from the government. “The RCMP believed the powers were critical,” he testified. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki arrives at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) “This point of view would have been taken into account and considered, but ultimately, the prime minister and [Incident Response Group] they decided to recall when they decided to recall…” Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff, told the inquiry it was important for the prime minister to ensure emergency powers did not remain active “one minute longer than absolutely necessary.” The committee has already heard how, the night before the act was invoked, Lucki told Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino’s chief of staff that she did not believe the police had yet exhausted all the tools available. Lucki has since publicly stated that she supports the government’s decision to invoke the Emergency Act.
