Public Order Emergency Commission – November 28, 2022 (Panel 1 of 2)

The Public Order Emergency Commission holds a panel discussion in Ottawa as it begins the policy phase of its work. Experts from various fields will assist the commission in developing recommendations related to its mandate. Robert Leckey (dean of the faculty of law, McGill University) moderates this panel on the topic of fundamental rights and freedoms in public protests. Law professors Jamie Cameron (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University), Richard Moon (University of Windsor), Vanessa MacDonnell (University of Ottawa), Jean-Francois Gaudreault-Desbiens (University of Montreal), Brian Bird (Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia) and Carissima Mathen (University of Ottawa) take part in the panel.

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 60 witnesses including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several key federal ministers during its six weeks of public hearings.


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