This year on February 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act as his response to the convoy within Ottawa, and the multiple blockades which took place during the same timeframe. As previously reported, the decision to invoke the act comes with a legal requirement to form a commission to review the decision and is separate from the parliamentary committee also examining the Trudeau government's use of the act.

“The Public Order Emergency Commission was established by the Governor in Council on April 25, 2022, to conduct an independent public inquiry as required by the Emergencies Act following the declaration of a public order emergency by the Government of Canada on February 14, 2022. The Inquiry must submit its final report to the Government, with findings and recommendations, by February 6, 2023.”

-Public Order Emergency Commission

Appointed by PM Trudeau, the Honourable Paul S. Rouleau will act as Commissioner of the Public Order Emergency Commission.

“The Commission is about to embark on the public phase of the process of finding answers to the questions assigned to it by Parliament under the Emergencies Act. This critical phase will shed light on the events that led to the declaration of the public order emergency and fully explore the reasons advanced for the declaration,”

-Commissioner Paul Rouleau.

The Commission has named 65 potential witnesses, and expects to call over 50 to the stands. This list includes Ottawa locals, groups, and businesses, protesters, law enforcement, and government officials. That list can be found below.

One of the named individuals subpoenaed is Marco Van Huigenbos, Fort Macleod town councillor, who along with two other individuals was charged with mischief over $5,000, and alleged by the RCMP to be a key participant of the Coutts Blockade. Marco's case has been adjourned until November 4, at which time we will have more information on the charges laid against him. Through TruckerLawyer.ca these three individuals and others have been provided legal representation for free, thanks to the generosity of supporters who have crowdfunded their defence.

Marco spoke with us briefly about his subpoena to appear in Ottawa for the commission, allegedly for his involvement in the Coutts Blockade. He is anticipated to speak about how the blockade in Coutts was associated with events leading to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

To help us cover the Public Order Emergency Commission from Ottawa please donate at TruckerCommission.com, where we will keep you updated with the latest news around this groundbreaking event.

List of anticipated witnesses:

1. Victoria De La Ronde

2. Zexi Li

3. Nathalie Carrier

4. Kevin McHale

5. Catherine McKenney (City of Ottawa)

6. Mathieu Fleury (City of Ottawa)

7. Steve Kanellakos (City of Ottawa)

8. Serge Arpin (City of Ottawa)

9. Jim Watson (City of Ottawa)

10. Diane Deans (City of Ottawa)

11. Patricia Ferguson (Ottawa Police Service)

12. Craig Abrams (Ontario Provincial Police - OPP)

13. Carson Pardy (OPP)

14. Pat Morris (OPP)

15. Steve Bell (Ottawa Police Service)

16. Russell Lucas (Ottawa Police Service)

17. Marcel Beaudin (OPP)

18. Robert Drummond (Ottawa Police Service)

19. Robert Bernier (Ottawa Police Service)

20. Thomas Carrique (OPP)

21. Peter Sloly

22. Brigitte Belton

23. James Bauder

24. Steeve Charland

25. Patrick King

26. Benjamin Dichter

27. Tom Marazzo

28. Chris Barber

29. Tamara Lich

30. Drew Dilkens (City of Windsor)

31. Dana Earley (Ontario Provincial Police)

32. Jason Crowley (Windsor Police Service)

33. Jim Willett (Village of Coutts)

34. Marco Van Huigenbos

35. Marlin Degrand (Alberta)

36. Mario Di Tommaso (Ontario)

37. Ian Freeman (Ontario)

38. Rob Stewart (Public Safety Canada)

39. Dominic Rochon (Public Safety Canada)

40. David Vigneault (Canadian Security Intelligence Service)

41. Michelle Tessier (Canadian Security Intelligence Service)

42. Marie-Hèlene Chayer (Integrated Threat Assessment Centre)

43. Deputy Commissioner Michael Duheme (RCMP)

44. Commissioner Brenda Lucki (RCMP)

45. Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki (RCMP)

46. John Ossowski (former, Canadian Border Services Agency)

47. Michael Keenan (Transport Canada)

48. Christian Dea (Transport Canada)

49. Michael Sabia (Department of Finance)

50. Rhys Mendes (Department of Finance)

51. Isabelle Jacques (Department of Finance)

52. Cindy Termorhuizen (Global Affairs Canada)

53. Joe Comartin (Global Affairs Canada)

54. Jody Thomas (Privy Council Office)

55. Jacquie Bogden (Privy Council Office)

56. Janice Charette (Privy Council Office)

57. Nathalie Drouin (Privy Council Office)

58. Minister Anita Anand (National Defence)

59. Minister Marco Mendicino (Public Safety)

60. Minister Bill Blair (Emergency Preparedness and President of the King’s Privy Council)

61. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

62. Minister Omar Alghabra (Transport Canada)

63. Minister David Lametti (Justice)

64. Minister Dominic LeBlanc (Intergovernmental Affairs)

65. Minister Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Finance)

UPDATE: Rebel News is crowdfunding the legal defence for Alex Van Herk and George Janzen.