Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Christia Freeland is taking part in a special joint commission to declare a state of emergency over the government’s use of the Ottawa Emergency Act on 14 June. Justin Tang / The Canadian Press
Finance Minister Christia Freeland was repeatedly accused of giving evasive answers on Tuesday night when he appeared before a special joint committee of lawmakers and senators reviewing the government’s first-ever use of the powers contained in federal emergency law.
Conservative MPs, the Quebec bloc and the NDP expressed strong disappointment during Ms Freeland’s 1-hour speech.
“Anyone who is watching this committee at the moment can see that you are simply refusing to answer many basic questions. This is almost contemptuous, “said NDP MP Matthew Green, whose party is part of a parliamentary co-operation agreement with the ruling minority liberal government.
“I’m not sure it’s very appropriate to call a fellow Member despicable,” Ms Freeland said. (Later, Mr. Green apologized, saying he meant contempt.)
It was a simple refrain. At one point, Bloc MP Rhéal Fortin accused Ms Freeland of “wasting our time”, while Conservative MEPs repeatedly pointed out that Ms Freeland, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, did not answer direct questions.
The law was implemented on February 14 in response to a week-long protest in central Ottawa, in which large trucks clogged city streets just south of Parliament Hill. The same month saw similar protests at various border crossings in Canada, leading to costly trade disruptions. The protesters were primarily opposed to government restrictions on the COVID-19 pandemic.
A massive police operation cleared the streets of Ottawa four days after the law went into effect, and powers were lifted on February 23rd.
Opposition parties have often asked the minister to provide economic data or public service advice to justify the government’s decision to invoke the law.
Instead, the minister mentioned the strong concerns expressed at the time by Canadian business leaders. Ms Freeland said border blockades by protesters who opposed pandemic restrictions earlier this year risked permanent damage to Canada’s integrated trade relations with the United States.
“I was very concerned about the damage to our trade relations with the United States and our reputation as a reliable partner,” she said. The minister said Canadian business leaders often warned her of the economic damage from the blockades, and that American politicians were increasingly pointing to unrest and calling for less cross-border trade.
“These blockades, this illegal occupation, was the perfect event to make it easier for American protectionists to close their markets to us,” she said.
Citing the law has given police powers to designate specific areas, such as downtown Ottawa and some border crossings, such as restricted areas where protesters can be arrested. However, one of the most controversial uses of the special powers was the move to freeze the bank accounts of those involved in the protests.
Ms Freeland said on Tuesday that emergency measures had led to the freezing of approximately 280 financial products, including bank accounts, credit cards and credit lines, totaling about $ 8m. The minister said another 170 bitcoin addresses had been identified and shared with virtual currency exchangers. The accounts were frozen on the basis of a list of names drawn up by the RCMP. The Canadian Bankers ‘Association said a “small number” of additional accounts had been frozen based on banks’ own reviews.
The RCMP said in February that the account freeze was used to encourage protesters to leave the illegal protests. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Michel Arkand told the Commons Finance Committee in March that the government had an immediate effect, leading some people to leave for fear that their accounts would be frozen.
The biggest political issue so far during the commission’s review is the past statement by Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino that the law was implemented on the basis of advice from law enforcement. Several police forces have since testified that they have not specifically insisted that the government invoke the law. Mr Mendicino’s deputy minister, Rob Stewart, told a special commission last week that the minister had been “misunderstood” and that police had asked for the tools contained in the law.
The study of the Joint Committee is required under the reporting provisions of the Emergency Act, which came into force in 1988. The Act replaced the Military Measures Act, which was passed in 1914 and has been used only three times in Canadian history: during the two world wars and during the October 1970 crisis involving terrorist attacks in Quebec.
In addition to the study of the joint committee, the law calls for a separate investigation to review the issue and issue a report within 360 days after the revocation of the state of emergency.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in April that Judge Paul Roulo would be commissioner of the Public Order Emergency Commission.
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