'The right to protest does not apply to trucks': Looking back at Trucker Commission Day 21
Before resting to honour Remembrance Day this past Friday, last Thursday marked day 21 of the ongoing Public Order Emergency Commission. For those who might be unaware, this inquiry is taking place because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act on peaceful Freedom Convoy protesters in February 2022 as they protested federal COVID-19 mandates.
You can see and support all of our independent coverage at TruckerCommission.com.
On day 21, the witnesses appearing in front of the commission were Marlin Degrand, provincial assistant deputy minister of public safety and emergency services for Alberta, and Mario Di Tommaso, Ontario's deputy solicitor general. Di Tommaso's testimony was a continuation, as the day prior a lawyer with the commission collapsed while examining him.
Degrand was the first one to testify, and you can see a bit of what he had to say here:
Shining light on an alleged RCMP plan to smuggle guns to the Coutts border blockade, convoy lawyer Brendan Miller grills Marlin Degrand, an Alberta gov't official, on what the gov't knew about the RCMP's plot.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) November 11, 2022
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Testimony from an Alberta public safety official reveals the gov't had begun acquiring equipment, personnel to remove the Coutts border blockade on Feb. 13.
— Rebel News Québec (@RebelNews_QC) November 10, 2022
Marlin Degrand says he had no idea the gov't would invoke the Emergencies Act.
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DeGrand is with the Alberta government, and though the border was blocked during some periods by truckers, farmers and supporters in Coutts, the Alberta government has come out against the use of the Emergencies Act to dissipate the protest, given that the protest in Coutts was resolved before the Emergencies Act was invoked.
You can see an exclusive, in-depth look at the story of the Coutts border blockade by the journalists who were there at TruckerDocumentary.com.
The mayor of the village, Jim Willett, testified the week prior.
Degrand also testified that he was not aware on the eve of its invocation that the Emergencies Act was about to be used.
Moving on to the second witness who testified on day 21, let's take a look at Di Tommaso’s testimony. Here's some of what he testified to:
In case you missed it: Ontario's deputy solicitor general, Mario Di Tommaso, reached out to the federal gov't to ask if the Emergencies Act was going to be invoked. The response? "Silence," says Di Tommaso.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) November 11, 2022
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"Politicians do not have a role in asking police services to deploy resources, that is not an appropriate role," says Mario Di Tommaso, the deputy solicitor general of Ontario.
— Rebel News Québec (@RebelNews_QC) November 10, 2022
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Ontario official Mario Di Tommaso on the demonstration in Ottawa: "What we did not see is any serious violence taking place at that point in time." However, he stated that there was a "mental health" impact on the community.
— Rebel News Québec (@RebelNews_QC) November 10, 2022
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Humorously enough, Di Tommaso mentioned that the right to protest “does not apply to trucks.” He also compared the protest in Ottawa to the protests taking place in Toronto.
Di Tommaso also stated that when, prior to the Emergencies Act being invoked, he called federal Deputy Minister of Public Safety Rob Stewart to figure out if the act would be invoked, no response was given.
There was "silence" the evidence shows.
Finally, following the day’s proceedings, we invited Tom Marazzo, key figure in the Freedom Convoy, to our livestream. In addition to Marazzo, Rebel News reporter Sydney Fizzard also touched on the testimonies, his assessment of the Coutts border blockade, and more. Fizzard was on the ground alongside fellow Rebel Kian Simone during the Coutts protests. Who better to provide an analysis of the situation there alongside the testimonies we heard.
There you have it, that's everything you need to know about day 21 of the Public Order Emergency Commission.
Make sure to keep following along with our daily coverage of the inquiry at TruckerCommission.com. There, you can also make a donation to help us keep bringing you the other side of the story, since unlike the legacy media, Rebel News is 100% viewer funded.
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