If you've forgotten, or just weren't paying much attention at the time, check out these WWW reports. "True Facts about Canada's Freedom Convoy" (includes video with John-Henry Westen), 9/2/22
"'The Catastrophe of Canada': Jordan Peterson & Rex Murphy" (video) 21/2/22
The Emergencies Act includes a provision that requires a public inquiry, after the Act is used, to determine whether its use was justified. Sort of like: verdict first, trial later. Anyhoo, the inquiry finally got underway in Ennui-on-the-Rideau this week. It is to be known as the "Rouleau Commission" because the presiding judge, appointed by Mr Sock, is Paul Rouleau, a justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Mr Justice Rouleau is a graduate of University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and has previously served on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Supreme Court of Yukon, the Nunavut Court of Justice, and the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2017.
Before getting these nice jobs, Mr Rouleau worked for the Liberal Party of Canada. In 1983, he was part of John Turner's campaign to take over the Liberal leadership (and thus become prime minister) when Emperor Trudeau I announced his retirement. Later, he had a hand in helping pick Mr Turner's cabinet, and is described as either his executive assistant or appointments secretary in various media reports from that era. Can you say "whitewash", boys and girls? I knew you could.
Now that he's a judge, Mr Rouleau is supposed to be apolitical, non-partisan, and open-minded. He accepted without hesitation the terms of reference for the mission: not merely to look into the government's actions and whether they were justified, but to investigate the behaviour and financing of the protesters. (Junior claimed that they were directed and financed by foreign extremists.) In his opening statement, Mr Justice Rouleau said, "Uncovering the truth is an important goal."
What is the truth? Depends on whether you're on the side of the self-righteous, liberal police state... or of freedom. The Freedom Convoy was appropriately named, standing up for freedom from oppression by the nanny state. The invocation of the Emergencies Act severely restricted the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
In opening statements on Thursday, civil liberties groups, including the Canadian Constitution Foundation and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, noted the sweeping rights implications of the act. The Emergency Economic Measures Order, made in pursuance of the act, chilled freedom of expression, by mandating banks to freeze bank accounts of those connected to the protests, without any warrant or notice to the account-holders.
Counsel for the Liberal government argued its view that Canada faced an "unprecedented and critical" situation in the face of ongoing protests and blockades, including threats of "ideologically motivated violence" and impact on Canada’s trade, international relationships, and reputation. Even as opening statements were being read, the Emperor [Prime Minister, shurely! Ed.], rather than saying that since the matter was before the court, or that he would be testifying later, was making his argument publicly in every "media availability".
"We knew from the very beginning," he told the CBC and the rest of the lickspittle media, "that invoking the Emergencies Act is a big step that had never been done before. But given these unprecedented illegal protests, we needed to take action. We took it in a way that was measured, that was responsible that was time limited."
Lawyers for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, begged to differ, expressing disapproval of the federal government's failure to consult them before invoking the act. Yes, they were called, according to counsel for Saskatchewan, but "the call was not so much about consulting as it was about telling." Saskatchewan also opposed the financial measures, which required banks and other institutions to take significant steps with little guidance from the government.
Several provinces requested that the act's application be geographically limited, which it was not. Counsel for Alberta noted that the province was able to deal with the Coutts AB border blockades under existing laws, and that none of the powers under the Emergencies Act were necessary, or indeed invoked, in that province.
Counsel for the various police forces involved, and residents of Ottawa who say they were affected by the protest, backed up Mr Socks. The residents' lawyer called the protests "highly disruptive, even traumatizing", what with continual honk-honking throughout the night, loose jerry cans lying the streets, and "general disorder."
On Friday, the commission began hearing evidence from witnesses, starting with the Parade of the Snowflakes -- Ottawa residents whining about the supposed disruption of their lives. At the head of tyhe parade was a "legally blind" lady who entered the hall wearing sunglasses (and a mask, of course) and tapping her white cane. She said her condition had been worsened by the protest because she was afraid to go out, even to shop, for fear of being lost in the crowd.
A Chinese-Canadian lady said the noise of the air- and truck horns was so loud that she and her husband had to sleep in their car, in the basement of their condo. Even worse, she says she was bullied when she went into the street, and was told that she wasn't smiling under her mask!
Another Karen, a well-fed businesswoman, said she was afraid... very afraid. Why? "Because when I heard that the Ottawa police chief [Peter "Moves" Sloly] said he was afraid, I felt I should be afraid too." Seriously.
Mr Sloly, a diversity hire, was a "victim" of the protest, losing his job a couple of weeks in, for failing to get tough with the freedom fighters. [Your bias is showing. Ed.] The new acting chief called in the Toronto Police "Service" mounted unit, who got the job done without trampling on more than one little old lady.
The Rouleau Commission is expected to hear fro as many of 65 potential witnesses, including Prime Minister McBlackface, as time will allow. Given that 20 different organizations have standing and will be allowed to cross-examine witnesses, the hearings could take more than a little while.
However, the Commission's final report must, by law, be laid before Parliament by 20 February 2023. That wouldn't be a problem, though, for Mr Justice Rouleau if, as Walt suspects, his exoneration of Chief Walking Goose (Mr Trudeau's honorary Indian name) and all his minions has already been written by... ohhh... let's say Gerald Butts.
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