Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. Top government ministers will continue testifying today at the Public Order Emergency Commission, which has already heard from more than 60 witnesses over five weeks on the federal government’s response to last winter's "Freedom Convoy" protests. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – A lawyer representing organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” has been ejected from the public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act, after an exchange with the commissioner overseeing the hearings.
The exchange began when Freedom Corp. lawyer Brendan Miller asked Commissioner Paul Rouleau to add a member of the public safety minister’s staff to today’s witness list.
Before the morning break, Miller argued that Marco Mendicino’s director of communications has important evidence to provide.
Rouleau told Miller he would need to submit a written request to add an unscheduled witness to the hearings, which are slated to wrap up on Friday.
Following a back-and-forth between the pair, Rouleau asked security to escort Miller from the public hearing room.
The inquiry has been hearing testimony today from Mendicino, who says federal cabinet ministers were worried about their personal safety from the outset of the protest in Ottawa, because some demonstrators had posted online about targeting their homes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2022.
