Public Order Emergency Commission – December 1, 2022 (Panel 1 of 2)

The Public Order Emergency Commission holds a panel discussion in Ottawa as it continues the policy phase of its work. Experts from various fields will assist the commission in developing recommendations related to its mandate. Dennis Baker (associate professor and director of the criminal justice and public policy program at the University of Guelph) moderates this panel on police-government relations. Taking part in the roundtable are Christian Leuprecht (Royal Military College and Queen’s University), Ryan Teschner (Toronto Police Services Board), Malcolm Thorburn (University of Toronto), Kate Puddister (University of Guelph), Michael Kempa (University of Ottawa), and Jim Ramer (chief of the Toronto Police Service).

Led by Paul Rouleau, the commission is studying the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in February 2022 to declare a public order emergency. The declaration of emergency came in response to protests, at a number of Canada–U.S. border crossings and in downtown Ottawa, opposing the government’s COVID-19 public-health measures. The Emergencies Act requires an inquiry to be held following any declaration of emergency, with the mandate of examining both the circumstances of the declaration and the measures taken under it. The inquiry heard from over 70 witnesses including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several key federal ministers during its six weeks of public hearings. Justice Rouleau must submit a final report to Parliament no later than February 20, 2023.


Please note: Video with ASL sign language interpretation is available at https://publicorderemergencycommission.ca/