Testimony shifts from Ottawa to the Ambassador Bridge blockade | Recapping Trucker Commission Day 18

Week five of the Emergencies Act inquiry kicked off with interesting testimony from some relatively unknown witnesses, as Windsor, Ont. Mayor Drew Dilkens and OPP Acting Deputy Chief Jason Crowley took the stand.

Stay with me here, because while these names might not be that familiar, their testimonies were very revealing.

For those unaware, the inquiry — officially called the Public Order Emergency Commission — is taking place because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to invoke a never-before-used anti-terrorism law on peaceful protesters who travelled from across the country to protest COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa as part of a protest known as the Freedom Convoy.

The first few weeks of testimony were fascinating. We heard from the former mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson; failed Ottawa mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney; Ottawa Police Services officials, including the former chief, Peter Sloly, and the man who replaced him, Steve Bell; Ontario Provincial Police officials; Freedom Convoy leaders like Tamara Lich, Tom Marazzo, Chris Barber and more; we even some of the protesters themselves, like former Canadian Armed Forces veteran Chris Deering.

Now, on day 18 of the commission, the mayor of Windsor first took the stand. In this report, we'll recap some of the highlights from his testimony, as the Ambassador Bridge, a key trade route linking Ontario to Michigan, was blocked for nearly a week by a group of protesters unrelated to those in Ottawa. But despite the protest, this border crossing was reopened a day before the Emergencies Act was invoked.

One of the most interesting moments from Dilkens' testimony was when Brendan Miller, the lead barrister for the Freedom Convoy organizers, cross-examined the mayor. Miller had a trick up his sleeve, bringing up a CSIS document that was entered into the record, an extremely revealing and important document that showed intel agents assessment was that the use of the Emergencies Act could actually provoke a more aggressive response from protesters.

Miller also addressed some widely reported allegations that claimed the protesters on the Ambassador Bridge were using children as human shields.

Following the day's testimonies, Rebel News invited convoy lawyers Keith Wilson, Eva Chipiuk and Alan Honner from The Democracy Fund to discuss the proceedings. All three lawyers had very interesting things to say. If you missed that, be sure to catch up with our BREAKDOWN show where we're joined by insightful guests and recap each day's testimony.

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