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Day 8 of Public Hearings, October 24, 2022 Public Inquiry for the Invocation of the Emergencies Act

Tia Riley

On Day 8 of the Emergencies Act Public Inquiry hearings Steve Bell, Ottawa interim police chief testified that a plan was in place and “ready to be executed” without requiring the Emergencies Act.

During questioning from Brendan Miller, Convoy Lawyer, Steve Bell told the commission that although the Emergencies Act “created a stable platform” for Ottawa police, there was a plan and it was ready to be executed without the Emergencies Act.

Brendan Miller asked Bell “So you’re saying that there were existing laws that you could’ve done the same thing under, is that right?” Steve Bell responded “We had a plan, we were going to execute that plan.”

INTERIM CHIEF STEVE BELL, Sworn
Examination in-Chief by Mr. Frank Au
Cross-Examination by Mr. Tom Curry
Cross-Examination by Ms. Alyssa Tomkins
Cross-Examination by Mr. Christopher Diana
Cross-Examination by Mr. Robert MacKinnon
Cross-Examination by Mr. Brendan Miller
Cross-Examination by Mr. Paul Champ
Cross-Examination by Ms. Lauren Pearce
Cross-Examination by Ms. Cara Zwibel
Cross-Examination by Mr. Rob Kittredge
Cross-Examination by Mr. David Migicovsky
Re-Examination by Mr. Frank Au

Steve Bell interim Ottawa police chief testifies the truckers freedom convoy “what was known the day before is that a large number” “that the overall activity of the group that was moving across was extremely lawful and extremely law abiding”.

Steve Bell, Former OPS Interim Chief announced children would be taken from their parents in the convoy without first consulting with Children’s Aid Society and were quite unhappy about it. The plan was to remove the children from their parents in the protest and that the children would be kept in a gymnasium.

Steve Bell, Ottawa Police Interim Chief claims he was unaware that Freedom Convoy protesters were detained, driven out of Ottawa to a rural parking lot with no building, and left outside in the cold with no access to a phone.

Felt violence: Steve Bell testified that he is not using the term “violence” as it relates to the Criminal Code or CSIS act.

Lawyer Brendan Miller: “So the violence that they felt, not actual violence, is that what you’re saying?”.

Steve Bell: “That is correct.”

Steve Bell claims that thousands of Ottawa residence felt violence, but confirms during testimony that only 5 actual criminal charges including violence were laid during the convoy protest in Ottawa.

Re: Emergencies Act not needed – While viewing an email from Brenda Lucki to Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, Lucki says that not all tools have been exhausted. Steve Bell testified that these abilities do exist in existing legislation. “We had a plan, we were going to execute that plan.”

RCMP Commissioner Lucki told Minister Mendicino’s chief of staff that there was no need for the EA just before it was invoked by the government.

“I’m of the view that we have not exhausted all available tools that are already available through existing legislation.”

Miller: So you’re saying that there was existing laws that you could have done the same thing under, is that right?

Bell: We had a plan. We were going to execute a plan.

Miller: But, you’re not talking about violence under Section 2 of the CSIS Act?

Bell: No, I’m not.

Miller: Thanks:

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