Jody Thomas, national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister, arrives at the west block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser is due to testify today at the public inquiry tasked with determining whether the Liberal government was justified in triggering the Emergencies Act.
A few hours after the history-making decision to use the law was made in mid-February, Jody Thomas reached out to the RCMP for a threat assessment of the protests in Ottawa and at several border crossings.
Her actions, detailed in documents previously submitted as evidence to the inquiry, provide some insight into the advice Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues were receiving when deciding to use the Emergencies Act.
The inquiry learned Thomas did not go through official channels and told the RCMP the protests were a threat to democracy and the rule of law.
Her appearance is scheduled to follow that of three senior officials from the federal Finance Department, including deputy minister Michael Sabia.
Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, telling Canadians its extraordinary but temporary powers were needed to quell protests against pandemic-related restrictions and the Liberal government.
It allowed the government to regulate or prohibit “the use of property” to fund or support the blockade and special economic regulations meant financial services providers could immediately freeze personal or corporate accounts without facing any liabilities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2022.
