The costs were divulged as part of a Justice Ministry reply to an inquiry of the ministry posed by Alberta Conservative MP Dane Lloyd. Outside legal advice was sought by the Feds as part of the Liberal government's unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act against the Freedom Convoy in February 2022.

According to the reply from the Ministry:

This amount includes outside legal fees related to the Public Order Emergency Commission, which had a timeline compressed by statute.

The total amount mentioned in this response is based on information contained in Department of Justice systems, as of May 4, 2023.

Alexa Lavoie of Rebel News, who was present at the Freedom Convoy, looks back on the peaceful protest, and on this year’s anniversary protest. https://t.co/Ds9K2iEng2 pic.twitter.com/ZMtKXIsmF7

— Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (@JCCFCanada) February 24, 2023

The Liberals invoked the Emergencies Act, a never-before-used piece of counter-terrorism legislation, to end the weeks-long ant-mandate Freedom convoy protest in the nation's capital.

Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie was struck and injured by police while covering the ongoing Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/Z2ZhqWdLTa

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 19, 2022

The Act permits the use of extraordinary policing powers, including asset and bank account seizures, arrests and detainments, and warrantless searches.