Police spent $1.3 million on hotel rooms during Freedom Convoy removal following Emergencies Act invocation

The Canadian Press / Justin Tang

An email written from the Department of Public Works wrote, “the department has received a request from the RCMP to exercise its emergency contract delegation and award a contract on their behalf for hotel accommodations to support their efforts to manage the response to the truck convoy currently occupying downtown Ottawa,” in a February 18 email. 

The Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, in response to the Freedom Convoy. 

The Emergencies Act is the successor to the former War Measures Act, put in place to help the government respond to threats to national security. The government of Canada explains that the act, “sets out the procedures by which public welfare emergencies, public order emergencies, international emergencies and war emergencies are proclaimed, continued and revoked.”

The RCMP signed a contract with the Courtyard Ottawa East hotel, which is operated by Marriott, for $1,265,600.00. The hotel is located at 200 Coventry Road, in Ottawa East. 

"When did you and your gov't start to become so afraid of your own citizens?" asks Freedom Convoy lawyer Eva Chipiuk (@forevaeva79).
"I am not, and we are not," replies Trudeau.

MORE: https://t.co/aITJqH3UGQ pic.twitter.com/1w04Mczyww

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 25, 2022

The contract would have begun on February 28, 2022 and ended on March 31, 2022. It was signed no earlier than February 18, 2022, as the email sent by the Department of Public Works on that same date indicates a desire to obtain the permission to award a contract for hotel accommodations.

This is despite the Emergencies Act being invoked on February 14, 2022. 

The rooms were never used by RCMP officers. The hotel agreed to waive all charges. 

In the memo provided to Blacklock’s Reporter, the government redacted the number of rooms the RCMP had requested. The memo also reads that the request by the RCMP was “urgent in light of current events,” referring to the peaceful Freedom Convoy.