The Public Order Inquiry Commission began public hearings October 14, exactly eight months after the declaration of a state of emergency by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. Let’s recall that the Trudeau government claimed that the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa were so dangerous that they imperilled public safety and this necessitated the use of draconian and emergency powers, that have only once been previously invoked in peacetime. The hearings give us an opportunity to test Trudeau’s claim, and so far the government’s rationale has all but fallen flat on its face. Of course, there could be remarkable revelations in the future which put a different cast on the events, but so far, a range of witnesses give reason to be highly skeptical of the government’s rationale and the narrative that fuelled it.
