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Day 27 of Public Hearings, November 21, 2022 Public Inquiry for the Invocation of the Emergencies Act

Tia Riley

Day 27 of the Emergencies Act Public Inquiry, David Vigneault, Canadian Security and Intelligence CSIS testified that he advised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act despite acknowledging despite stating that a threat to national security as defined by Section 2 of the CSIS Act was not met.

David Vigneault’s witness summary reads: “Mr. Vigneault explained that based on both his understanding that the Emergencies Act definition of threat to security of Canada was broader than the CSIS Act, as well as based on his opinion of everything that he had seen to that point, he advised the Prime Minister of his belief that it was indeed required to invoke the Emergencies Act.”

MR. DAVID VIGNEAULT, Affirmed
MS. MICHELLE TESSIER, Affirmed
MS. MARIE-HÉLÈNE CHAYER, Affirmed
Examination in-Chief by Mr. Gordon Cameron
Examination in-Chief by Ms. Nursa Khan
Examination in-Chief by Mr. Gordon Cameron (cont’d)
Cross-Examination by Mr. Christopher Diana
Cross-Examination by Mr. Paul Champ
Cross-Examination by Mr. Hatim Kheir
Cross-Examination by Ms. Cara Zwibel
Cross-Examination by Mr. Brendan Miller
Cross-Examination by Mr. Sujit Choudhry
Cross-Examination by Ms. Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham
Cross-Examination by Mr. Michael Morris
Cross-Examination by Mr. Robert MacKinnon
Re-Examination by Mr. Gordon Cameron

Despite no confirmed threats to Canada, CSIS director David Vigneault says he still advised PM Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act, providing his opinion “as a national security adviser as opposed to the director of CSIS.”

A lawyer from the @JCCFCanada goes lists the subsections of section 2 of the CSIS Act, used to legitimize the invoking of the Emergencies Act, with CSIS director David Vigneault.

Vigneault says the Freedom Convoy didn’t rise to any of these levels.

CSIS director David Vigneault testifies the Canadian intel agency was not investigating the Freedom Convoy, telling the commission, “we are prevented by law [from] investigating protests and lawful dissent.”

CSIS director David Vigneault’s assessment provided to Trudeau’s cabinet said there was no point when “the protests in Ottawa or elsewhere constituted a threat to the security of Canada under section 2 of the CSIS Act,” the commission hears.

“Invoking the Emergencies Act could lead to some kind of violent reaction, was that not a concern?” asks a lawyer for Ottawa citizens.
“It’s absolutely [a] concern,” says CSIS director David Vigneault, describing this as an “assessment” not “advice.”

“When providing advice and information, it was based on the CSIS Act definition,” says CSIS director David Vigneault while explaining the “separate understanding” between language used in it and the Emergencies Act.

CSIS Director David Vigneault was asked by Prime Minister Trudeau for his opinion if the EMA should be invoked.

Vigneault told Trudeau “yes”

“All of these elements of unpredictability…led me to believe the regular tools were just not enough to address the situation,” says CSIS director David Vigneault as he explains the line of thinking leading up to invoking the Emergencies Act.

Judging the Freedom Convoy based on a Confederate or Nazi flags that were seen was not “nuanced in the analysis,” testifies CSIS director David Vigneault.

“This is very complex and people who are not experts may draw conclusions,” he adds.

CSIS head David Vigneault now admits recommending the #EmergenciesAct to the PM, despite public claims the protest didn’t constitute a national threat.

After having assessed no violence in multiple reports, the director of CSIS is basically saying the agency saw how eager and willing gov was to use the EA, so they felt compelled to warn them of the potential for a non-violent protest to become violent because of their actions.

MINISTER WILLIAM BLAIR, Sworn
Examination in-Chief by Mr. Gordon Cameron
Cross-Examination by Mr. Brendan Miller
Cross-Examination by Mr. David Migicovsky
Cross-Examination by Mr. Christopher Diana
Cross-Examination by Mr. Tom Curry
Cross-Examination by Ms. Alyssa Tomkins
Cross-Examination by Mr. Paul Champ
Cross-Examination by Ms. Heather Paterson
Cross-Examination by Ms. Jennifer King
Cross-Examination by Ms. Stephanie Bowes
Cross-Examination by Mr. Michael Morris
Cross-Examination by Mr. Sujit Choudhry
Cross-Examination by Mr. Rob Kittredge
Cross-Examination by Ms. Cara Zwibel
Cross-Examination by Mr. Greg Delbigio
Cross-Examination by Mr. Brendan Miller
Cross-Examination by Mr. Brendan van Niejenhuis
Re-Examination by Mr. Gordon Cameron

Serial liar @BillBlair had his dishonesty tested several times at the @POECommission
, but this one was especially hilarious…

BLAIR: “I’ve never indulged myself in feelings of embarrassment”

BLAIR: “I will tell you, the Emergencies Act has been under a very fulsome consideration right from the ***first*** day.”

There you have it. Forget Charter rights to peaceful assembly, this protest was hurting @JustinTrudeau
‘s Manhattan-sized ego and it had to end.

BLAIR: “To my experience that’s [negotiations] done at an officials level and not involving Cabinet ministers.”

Serial liar @BillBlair gets caught lying again. His colleague minister @MarcMillerVM
met with the railway blockaders the previous year.

“I’ve never seen it done better”: Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair describes the joint police operation that ended the Freedom Convoy protest by force.
Blair oversaw the Toronto police’s controversial response to a G20 summit in 2010.

Bill Blair, the minister of emergency preparedness, speaks about how it was crucial the Trudeau gov’t avoid using “inflammatory language” which “could incite a more violent response” or encourage others to join the Freedom Convoy protest.

“I was concerned that inflammatory language could incite a more violent response.”

Prior to PM Trudeau calling the Convoy a “fringe minority with unacceptable views,” Bill Blair urged the government to “keep the language down” to prevent escalation.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair denies having heard anything about the individual seen carrying a nazi flag during the Freedom Convoy not being a protestor, but instead someone sent there for photos.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair says he doesn’t remember Trudeau and Minister Mendicino labeling the Freedom Convoy protestors as extremists.

After Trudeau’s are read out to him, Blair says “I not only remember it, but I agree with him.”

Bill Blair: “I’ve never indulged myself in feelings of embarrassment.”

Now would be a good time to start.

Bill Blair says the POU crackdown on the protest in Ottawa was “the most professional I’ve ever seen…totally peaceful.” This is not normal.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1594814210822873104

Bill Blair, the minister of emergency preparedness, speaks about how it was crucial the Trudeau gov’t avoid using “inflammatory language” which “could incite a more violent response” or encourage others to join the Freedom Convoy protest.

“I’ve never seen it done better”: Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair describes the joint police operation that ended the Freedom Convoy protest by force.
Blair oversaw the Toronto police’s controversial response to a G20 summit in 2010.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair says “the Emergency Act was a measure of last resort” and that he believes “failure to resolve” the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa would have been “like Whack-a-Mole” shutting down border blockades.

A lawyer for the federal gov’t asks Bill Blair about the “atmosphere of lawlessness in Ottawa.”
Blair confirms this, saying this isn’t referring to “bouncy castles and hot tubs,” but situations like protesters carrying gas cans around the city.

The section of the Emergencies Act referring to a threat defined by the CSIS Act “has a broader application” according to Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

Blair says the threat of violence existed and the convoy met the threshold to invoke the act.

During the Emergencies Act inquiry, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair says:

“I was concerned that inflammatory language could incite a more violent response, potentially, or incite others to continue to come to the protest.”

“I believe all 3 orders of gov’t had a role and responsibility” to address the Freedom Convoy, testifies Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

“All of us had a responsibility, all of us had a role to play and I was attempting to convene that,” Blair says.

Bill Blair reviews a commission document that refers to how the gov’t was “reconsidering” the use of all federal resources once all other options had been “exhausted” in Alberta’s attempt to end the Coutts blockade.

“Even writing municipal bylaw tickets could precipitate a violent response,” asserts Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

When it comes to the Freedom Convoy, Blair says “we were talking about a threat of violence, not just merely the act.”

“I believe all 3 orders of gov’t had a role and responsibility” to address the Freedom Convoy, testifies Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

“All of us had a responsibility, all of us had a role to play and I was attempting to convene that,” Blair says.

Minister Bill BLAIR: “We approached the evocation of the emergencies act with great cautions, with real reluctance. We saw it as a last resort.”

Minister Bill BLAIR testified, Ottawa police responded “Incorrectly…and based on the intelligence they had. I think allowing those trucks into the downtown core to establish themselves…was a mistake.”

Convoy lawyer Brendan MILLER (Brendozer) cross-examines minister Bill BLAIR. “I don’t agree with you.”

Minister of Emergency #Preparedness Bill Blair denies having heard anything about the individual seen carrying a nazi flag during the Freedom Convoy not being a protestor, but instead someone sent there for photos.

Minister of Emergency #Preparedness Bill Blair says he doesn’t remember Trudeau and Minister Mendicino labeling the Freedom Convoy protestors as extremists.

Miller lays out the evidence of a preordained plan to use Jews & antisemitism as truncheon against the Trucker movement
Bill Blair falls all over himself declaring his bona fides in regard to Jewish suffering

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