POEC documents show public sentiment overwhelmingly opposed to Ottawa Police Service
The documents are on the public record as a part of the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC), the official examination of the actions of the Trudeau government in using the Emergencies Act (EA) to put an end to the Freedom Convoy, the nearly four weeks of peaceful trucker-led anti COVID restrictions protests in the streets of Ottawa.
This video was recorded on February 17th, 2022, everything remained peaceful until the very end when police moved in.
— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) October 28, 2022
I don't think they had a reason to invoke the Emergency Act, previously enacted for WW1 & WW2.
The day after, officers cracked down and dismantled the convoy. pic.twitter.com/20fsedewtn
The never-before-used EA, which replaced the War Measures Act, gave police extraordinary powers of arrest, detention and seizure of assets to disperse the demonstrations.
Steve Bell, Ottawa Police Interim Chief claims he was unaware that Freedom Convoy protesters were detained, driven out of Ottawa to a rural parking lot with no building, and left outside in the cold with no access to a phone.#EmergencyActInquiry #EmergenciesAct #POEC pic.twitter.com/MoyVMNlZnH
— Canadian Riley (@TiaRileyCanada) October 30, 2022
During last February's protests, the Ottawa Police Service contracted a market research firm, ASI, to monitor the sentiment of the public, and both the police's social media presence and the police, in general, were not well received. The February 7, 2022 report provided to police read:
"Overall sentiment on social media posts - virtually unchanged from Saturday (58% negative, 25% neutral, 17% positive)
Sentiment toward OPS virtually unchanged from Saturday (57% negative, 25% neutral, 18% positive)"
Prior to Ontario declaring a state of emergency, Ian Freeman of the Ministry of Transport says "we were never asked by police" to send warning letters to Freedom Convoy protesters.
— Efrain Flores Monsanto 🇨🇦🚛 (@realmonsanto) November 10, 2022
MORE: https://t.co/NkdySDLg8s pic.twitter.com/mqMDjqpEBs
The POEC is tasked with deciding if the EA, and the suspension of civil liberties allowed upon its use, was necessary to manage the demonstration in the nation's capital, but also those simultaneously occurring at the border crossings in Coutts, AB and Windsor, ON.
Alberta public safety official Marlin Degrand testifies he received internal information that protesters at the Coutts blockade were dismantling the blockade on the morning of Feb. 14, the same day PM Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act.
— Efrain Flores Monsanto 🇨🇦🚛 (@realmonsanto) November 10, 2022
MORE: https://t.co/NkdySDtEJS pic.twitter.com/LrUoL4wNtw
To see and support Rebel News' independent coverage of the POEC, please visit www.TruckerCommission.com.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheila
