It was a scene of chaos and confusion in the upper tiers of the police service and local government when a convoy of big rigs and protesters arrived in Ottawa to demand an end to pandemic restrictions last winter.
That's the picture witnesses have painted over the first couple of weeks of hearings at the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is investigating the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in February to bring an end to the weeks-long demonstration.
Several of the protest organizers on the witness list face criminal charges related to their involvement in the protest, including Tamara Lich and Pat King. "They’re hoping it will become apparent, which many already know, that there was no need to invoke the Emergencies Act," he said.The protesters began to arrive in Ottawa on Jan. 28 to express their anger and opposition to the federal government and to COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates.
The demonstrators inspired similar protests elsewhere in the country, including a six-day blockade of the Canada-U.S. border crossing on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont.