Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister of Public Safety, left, and Dominic Rochon, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, National and Cybersecurity Branch at Public Safety Canada, appear at the Public Order Emergency Commission, in Ottawa, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – A senior federal public servant says the United States Department of Homeland Security was concerned that major protest blockades in Canada could catch on south of the border.
Dominic Rochon, a senior assistant deputy minister with the national and cybersecurity branch of the government, was among the first federal representatives to testify at the public inquiry investigating the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act last winter.
He says the public safety department received several calls from U.S. security experts about how Canada was coping with the protests, which blocked border crossings between the two countries and gridlocked downtown Ottawa streets.
Rochon says they were also concerned similar protests could manifest on their side of the border.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with U.S. president Joe Biden about the protests on Feb. 11, and according to the White House, the prime minister “promised quick action in enforcing the law.”
The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, arguing its temporary and extraordinary powers were needed to end the blockades.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2022.
