Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc speaks to reporters during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
OTTAWA – Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the prime minister will soon receive his report outlining the response to recommendations from a public inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act.
Justice Paul Rouleau concluded in February that the Liberal government met the threshold to invoke the Emergencies Act to help quell weeks-long “Freedom Convoy” protests over COVID-19 restrictions.
The demonstrations gridlocked downtown Ottawa and blocked several Canada-U.S. border crossings in the winter of 2022.
He made 56 recommendations in his Feb. 17 report, including for the federal government related to policing, intelligence and security.
The government is required to officially respond to the recommendations within a year, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to having a plan on how it will respond within six months.
LeBlanc says in the next few days he will present a report to Trudeau showing the work that’s been done since that time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2023.
