BRENDA LUCKI RCMP LIVE PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMISSION INQUIRY Day 23 - November 15, 2022
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How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping Ottawa convoy protest dig in
Those involved with organizing protest include former RCMP and military officers
For nearly two weeks anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators and their big rigs have entrenched themselves in Ottawa's parliamentary district and its neighbourhoods.
Despite a strategic strike by police to cut off supplies to truckers encamped in the city's downtown core, protesters appear to still have the upper hand on police.
It's a success that experts partly attribute to the deep knowledge of law enforcement and military tactics that exist in the convoy's organizational structure.
The group Police on Guard, formed during the pandemic, has endorsed the truck convoy. On its website, it publicly identifies more than 150 mostly retired police officers who are against government-imposed public health measures, such as vaccine mandates. More than 50 former Canadian Forces soldiers are also named on its site.
The organization says it has "boots on the ground" in Ottawa and has linked to YouTube videos of its members participating in the protest.
Furthermore, the leadership team for the protesters calling themselves the Freedom Convoy includes:
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Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who was on the prime minister's security detail. He quit last year after refusing to get the vaccine and is the convoy's head of security.
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Tom Quiggin, a former military intelligence officer who also worked with the RCMP and was considered one of the country's top counter-terrorism experts.
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Tom Marazzo, an ex-military officer who, according to his LinkedIn profile, served in the Canadian Forces for 25 years and now works as a freelance software developer.
WATCH | How convoy protesters are staying ahead of police in Ottawa:
Why Ottawa protesters seem to be a step ahead of police
Organizers suggest close relationships with police
The leaders of the Freedom Convoy refuse to be interviewed by journalists unless they consider them friendly to their cause, and CBC News has been barred from their media conferences. In a video posted from one of those news conferences posted on social media, Quiggin gives his assessment of the political and police response in Ottawa, which he calls "the opposition."
"I would say the opposition at this point doesn't actually have a strategy. They have a sort of weak goal and that they want the streets cleared, but they have no real idea how they want to get there," he said.
In the video, Quiggin says that during his tenure at the RCMP, he worked with the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET). INSET was created to thwart terror threats following 9/11 and includes top officials from CSIS, Canada's spy agency, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and municipal police forces.
It's unclear what Quiggin's role at INSET was at the time.
In that same video, he referenced the blockades at the border crossing in Coutts, Alta., and parallel protests in Toronto, Quebec City and Sarnia.
"I think what we're going to see is people start going to the government and saying 'Get this fixed.' And if you don't, we're realizing that we have the power to shut things down," said Quiggin.
While speaking in the video, Bulford bragged to the select reporters about his close relationship with the RCMP, the Parliamentary Protective Service, Ottawa police and Gatineau police. He urged demonstrators to stay "peaceful" and connect with officers on patrol.
"[Police] all know that this group is here for everybody, and I make a point of saying to other police officers, when I see them, it's like, 'Just so you know, in my mind and in my heart, we're doing this for all of you as well,'" said Bulford.
Police have not commented on any conversations they may have had with either Quiggin or Bulford.
Protesters have military, police training, expert says
Michael Kempa, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, says the convoy's policing and military expertise can be seen in the co-ordination of their activities in downtown Ottawa.
"They have this sort of military or police or at least survivalist training. Look at the sophistication of what they're setting up in terms of an encampment in downtown Ottawa," said Kempa, who studies policing across Canada.
"It looks like a military operation."
As examples, Kempa pointed to the tents and wooden structures used for kitchens that organizers have set up and the supply chain that has sprung up across the city to keep people fed, working and protesting.
The
interior of one of two tractor trailers filled with food at the
Coventry Road logistics camp for the convoy protest in Ottawa on Sunday.
(Judy Trinh/CBC)
Kempa says police made the "grievous error" of permitting transport trucks to drive up to the gates of Parliament Hill.
Police have called those heavy trucks potential weapons, but they are also essential tools used to transport supplies, such as two-by-fours to build shelters, firewood and burn barrels to keep protesters warm and propane tanks for barbecues.
In the core, abandoned cars and trucks with their tires removed are blocking streets. To Kempa, the placement of these vehicles is not random but rather strategic in that they may prevent police infiltration.
Residents have noticed protesters taking shifts getting into the cabs of idling trucks to blare air horns. The ear-piercing sound rang out at all hours until a court injunction earlier this week forced a temporary pause.
Ottawa police say there are currently more than 400 trucks parked downtown and they can't move them because tow operators with city contracts are refusing to help. Making matters even more difficult, police say families with children are sleeping in approximately a quarter of them.
"These are not your average protesters," Kempa said.
Logistics camp raid
But perhaps the best example of co-ordination can be found at the logistics camp set up by protesters just six kilometres east of Parliament Hill at the RCTG baseball stadium on Coventry Road.
The Titan baseball team's owner Regan Katz says the city asked him if they could use the lot for temporary parking for some of the trucks to alleviate congestion in the core. Police told him they would only require the lot for one weekend, but the truckers never left.
Instead they set up a supply centre.
At the Coventry camp, there are several canopy-style tents set up and two tractor trailers stocked with food, along with rows of portable toilets.
People
in Ottawa carry fuel cans after police said they will be targeting the
fuel supply of protesters during ongoing demonstrations in Ottawa on
Feb. 7, 2022. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters)
When shipments of diesel, gasoline and propane arrived, volunteers would transfer the fuel into hundreds of red and yellow jerry cans that would be driven downtown to be distributed to truckers so they could keep their vehicles idling.
With temperatures in Ottawa that have, at times, dipped to –30 C, at least three saunas were trucked in so protesters could stay warm.
On Sunday evening, as demonstrators were gathering for dinner, dozens of officers, some carrying riot guns capable of launching rubber projectiles and tear gas, raided the camp. In an attempt to cut off the supply route, police say they seized 3,700 litres of fuel and two vehicles including a diesel tank.
But within hours of the raid, protesters from the camp broadcast a reassurance to their supporters.
"People are still in high spirits. Donations are still here. Fuel is still here and it will still get to the truckers," said demonstrator Terence Rowland-Dow, in a Facebook live stream.
WATCH | Zello conversations reveal gulf between convoy supporters and their critics:
Zello conversations reveal gulf between convoy supporters and their critics
The day after the police raid, protesters continued to deliver fuel to downtown truckers as they executed a co-ordinated effort to exhaust police resources. Demonstrators pulled wagons full of jerry cans past officers who just watched.
Ottawa police Deputy Chief Steve Bell said demonstrators were "filling gas canisters with water to distract officers … attempting to subvert our efforts." He said one officer was swarmed while trying to confiscate fuel.
Police 'underestimated' protesters
Amarnath Amarasingam researches radicalization and extremism. The assistant professor of religion at Queen's University watched the Facebook live stream after the raid and was impressed by the level of co-ordination he saw.
He says protesters had consistently telegraphed their intentions to dig in on social media and that police miscalculated the resolve of the convoy protesters.
"If anyone was paying attention to the online content … leading up to this convoy — they shouldn't have been underestimated," he said.
Amarasingam says police initially placated protesters because they prepared for the wrong outcome and assumed they would engage in overt violence.
Ottawa
police, with help from Ontario Provincial Police, raided the Coventry
Road logistics camp on Sunday. Police say they seized 3,700 litres of
fuel as well as some vehicles in an attempt to disrupt the flow of
supplies to protesters entrenched in downtown Ottawa. (Judy Trinh/CBC)
Instead, protesters broke many bylaws, such as those barring public urination, defecation and intoxication, and refused to wear masks. But for the most part, their actions didn't cross the line into criminal acts and resulted in fines, not jail time.
"The [police] approach was — are they going to storm government? Or are they going to do something exceedingly violent? I don't think that was necessarily their objective from the beginning," Amarasingam said. "It was more so to cripple the city."
He says the convoy also has the means to continue their operation indefinitely. Since GoFundMe cancelled their initial fundraiser, they are aiming to raise $16 million US on Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo and are more than halfway there.
Unless there's an internal collapse of the organization, Amarasingam worries it will end in violence.
"Either there are mass arrests and violence on the streets or violence on the streets results in mass arrests and potentially military intervention."
Police want reinforcements as protests spread
To date, police have made 23 arrests, issued more than 1,500 tickets and launched more than 80 criminal investigations. Bell called the remaining demonstrators "dangerous and volatile."
Police say they need 1,800 more reinforcements from the federal and provincial governments to help end the crisis.
New protest camps are springing up across the city in shopping mall parking lots and near the access road to Ottawa's international airport. As another weekend approaches, the crowd on Parliament Hill is expected to swell again.
Meanwhile, American media have arrived in the capital, the convoy has also spawned copycat protests in other parts of the world and the crisis is expanding far beyond Ottawa.
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With files from Madeline McNair, Max Paris and Albert Leung
Under fire over claims of political interference, Lucki calls for new rules on RCMP's relationship with Ottawa
The RCMP commissioner testified before the Emergencies Act inquiry Tuesday
"I think it's time that we put something to writing that outlines the what you can and cannot do from both the commissioner's perspective and the politicians," she said under questioning at the Emergencies Act inquiry on Tuesday.
"I think it's time to clarify, because it's been a topic of conversation."
She was referring to the political controversy that's followed her and members of the Liberal government since the summer, when the inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia released handwritten notes by RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell.
In those notes, Campbell alleged Lucki tried to get investigators to publicly reveal the weapons the gunman used.
The notes also say Lucki indicated she promised then-minister of Public Safety Bill Blair and the Prime Minister's Office that the RCMP would release this information, and that this was tied to pending gun control legislation intended to make officers and the public safer.
Both Lucki and Blair have denied meddling in the RCMP's investigation.
The RCMP Act says the commissioner serves "under the direction of the minister" and "has the control and management of the force."
Lucki pointed out during her testimony Tuesday that the RCMP doesn't have a police commission, as some municipal police forces do.
"There's no institution in between the two of us," she said. "If a minister were to cross that line, it's simply a function of you having to say, 'You're over the line, minister.'"
WATCH | Lucki says she has 'never' been provided direction from ministers
Lucki pointed to a private member's bill tabled by NDP MP Alistair MacGregor that seeks to sharpen the language in the RCMP Act to shield the commissioner from political influence.
"In the last six months, I've had to respond to it on several occasions and so my hope is that my replacement won't haveto. So we need to clear this up," said Lucki.
The commissioner has blamed the controversy on a miscommunication between her subordinates and herself.
Lucki said RCMP staff had told her that information about the guns used in the mass shooting would be released during a news conference. Lucki said that, in response to a question from Blair's chief of staff, she passed on that detail.
"They didn't ask me to do anything. They just asked a simple question," Lucki said during a House of Commons committee last month.
"There was no direction whatsoever."
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A 'big bill' for tow trucks, 'threat to democracy': What we learned from top RCMP officials' convoy commission testimony
A pair of RCMP officials, including Commissioner Brenda Lucki, were in the hot seat at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Tuesday, testifying about the federal police forces' involvement in handling the "Freedom Convoy" protests and the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act.
Lucki told the commission about the role she played liaising with other police officials including former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, as well as about the responsibility she had to gather information from police across the country and brief federal ministers. During her testimony, she also made a bit of an aside, in advocating for codifying in writing rules around what constitutes political interference, to avoid future controversies.
Appearing next to her was Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme, who is responsible for the RCMP's federal policing program, which includes investigating matters of national security and conducting protective policing, which is the kind of security Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other high-level officials receive.
Duheme told the commission that his responsibility throughout the protests was to ensure that Lucki had the right information to brief deputy ministers and cabinet members, and to co-ordinate the requests for additional resources, all of which the RCMP met, the commission heard.Tuesday's hearing also included discussion over Trudeau's national security adviser asking for a threat assessment of the protests on the day the Emergencies Act was invoked.
Here's a roundup of the key takeaways and notable moments from Tuesday's RCMP-focused hearing.
QUICK LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN OTTAWA POLICE
One of the areas explored at length during Tuesday's hearing was the RCMP's interactions with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) throughout the protests.
The commission heard the RCMP's perspective on the frustration Ottawa felt over the number of officers the RCMP had offered up to help police the protests, and on their reaction when the OPS seemed to go around the OPP and directly to the RCMP to ask for help.
One element that was crystalized on Tuesday was how quickly federal officials went from having confidence in the local police forces' ability to handle the incoming protest, to learning that the OPS did not have an operational plan to end what at that point was quickly becoming an occupation of downtown Ottawa.
At the start of the protests, Duheme told the commission that RCMP intelligence officers were aware of the OPP "Hendon" reports that assessed the size, scope and potential threat the convoy posed, but that despite this, they still viewed the event as one Ottawa police could handle.
"I was of the opinion that they had everything in hand," Duheme said.
Though, one week into the protests, his boss Lucki made it clear in a text to her OPP counterpart—as the commission has already heard—that the federal government had lost confidence in OPS' ability to handle the protests.
Lucki was asked on Tuesday what was it in her interactions that prompted her to have this view, which she called in an inference based on the impatience she heard. Here's some of what Lucki said:
"Well, we always got the same question each and every day: 'When is this going to end? How is it going to end?' And we really couldn't answer that. And, of course, early on, we weren't intimately involved with what was going on… But people from the outside looking in weren't seeing any decrease in the activity. They were seeing the opposite. They were seeing increase in activity from the protest groups and more people getting involved… People were wondering if there was ever going to be an end to this, because they hadn’t seen any outwardly enforcement action."
Lucki also noted Tuesday that amid calls that came "quite often" for the RCMP to take over the police response, "there was a bit of education" that had to be given to deputy ministers and cabinet ministers that their role was not to overtake, but to assist.
'A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY': PM ADVISER
One of the more notable bits of evidence raised on Tuesday came in documentation the witnesses were questioned on: a request for a threat assessment to be conducted coming from Trudeau's National Security and Intelligence Adviser Jody Thomas.
In an email, Thomas made a request that was ultimately directed to the RCMP's executive director of intelligence and international policing, Adriana Poloz, seeking an assessment of "the threat of these blockades. The characters involved. The weapons. The motivation."
"Clearly this isn't just about COVID and is a threat to democracy and rule of law… It's a very short fuse," she wrote on Feb. 14, the day the Emergencies Act was invoked.
In addition to this email shedding some light on the perspective a top Trudeau adviser had at the time, the commission lawyer who raised it was curious how it happened that the prime minister's top national security adviser wanted an assessment but didn't go through either Lucki or Duheme to get it.
Duheme said that while it is not necessarily how it should work, "it happens based on some relationships that are built."
"Preferably, there should be one stop for all requests that come in, so we can have at least an idea of what's going out," he said, noting that he couldn’t recall whether he had been briefed on the assessment once it was compiled.
FEDS GOT 'BIG BILL' FOR COMPELLING TOW TRUCKS
One of the powers that the Emergencies Act granted the federal government was the ability to compel those capable to render essential services to relieve the blockades with reasonable compensation.
In this case, this power was used to order tow truck drivers to move vehicles blocking roads.
Asked on Tuesday if the bill for this—compensating tow truck operators—had come in, Lucki said yes, and that it was "a big bill."
Digging into this a bit further, a commission lawyer asked Lucki if she was aware that this power under the Act gave the province the ability to hand over the costs of tow drivers to the federal government, she said yes.
"I assumed that if they had to compel tow trucks under the Emergencies Act that we would, in fact, the federal government would pay for that. But if they had the ability to get the tow trucks on their own, that it wouldn't be under the Emergencies Act, and we wouldn't be paying for it," Lucki said.
She was then asked if it would surprise her that some of the tow operators decided to go through the federal government to get paid even though they had been secured prior to the act, Lucki said she had "no idea."
"I guess it's an integrity issue."
LUCKI CHALLENGED ON HER 'OTHER TOOLS' REMARK
Documents previously submitted to the commission indicated Lucki did not believe officials had employed "all available tools" to dismantle the anti-mandate protests prior to the Emergencies Act being invoked.
In an email to Mike Jones, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino's chief of staff, dated just after midnight on Feb. 14, the day the government invoked the Act, Lucki wrote officials had other tools that had already been factored into plans to end the protests.
In the email, Lucki also listed the "useful" powers the Act would give law enforcement, including prohibiting public assembly in a wider range of designated spaces, outlawing protesters from bringing gas and diesel into the protest zone, cellphone disruption, and giving police the power to get tow trucks into the demonstration. But despite this, she was of the view that all existing tools still had not been utilized.
This email came up several times on Tuesday, and the commission heard that while she hadn't personally consulted other police forces about the tools that might have been useful to them ahead of the invocation of the Act—citing a concern of breaching cabinet confidence—Lucki was under the impression that others within the RCMP had sought feedback.
Asked then near the end of her appearance why she didn't bring this up during high-level federal response-focused meetings being held just prior to the invocation of the Act, Lucki said that even though she didn't get a chance, because she had conveyed her views to Mendicino's top staffer, it had been passed on.
Did she think it would have carried weight if she had directly told cabinet ministers her view? Lucki said it may have, but it was only one part of the overall picture the federal government was considering in deciding to invoke the Act. In the end, she told the commission that she thought the Emergencies Act did help bring the weeks-long situation to an end.
TIME TO CODIFY WHAT CONSTITUTES POLITICAL PRESSURE?
During her testimony, Lucki was asked a general question—one she's been asked previously in connection to the Nova Scotia mass shooting—whether she felt at any point during the convoy response improper pressure or attempts to direct the national police force.
"Absolutely not," was her response. After some back and forth over how the RCMP understands the "church and state" idea of separating politics and policing, Lucki took the opportunity to advocate for codifying the expectations around what constitutes political interference, to avoid future controversies.
"I think it's time that we put something to writing that outlines what you can and cannot do from both the commissioner's perspective and the politicians, especially from a rotational point of view," Lucki said. "Politicians change… So I think it's time to clarify it, because it's been a topic of conversation."
This was in reference to the flurry of attention around allegations that the Liberals interfered in the RCMP's investigation in Nova Scotia in connection to gun policy. Federal officials, including Lucki, have strenuously denied the claims made by Nova Scotia RCMP officials.
Asked what these kind of written guidelines would entail, Lucki pointed to an NDP private members' bill from Allistair MacGregor currently before the House of Commons that, if passed, would "clarify the scope of the directions" that ministers can give to the RCMP commissioner, "and to require that all directions be issued in writing."
The bill would also set out reporting and publishing requirements "with respect to those directions."
"It won't be difficult to do, because there's many police agencies who have examples of what needs to be put in in text to make this happen," Lucki said. "In the last six months I've had to respond to it on several occasions, and so my hope is that my replacement won't have to. So we need to clear this up."
With a file from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk
Ottawa's request for 1,800 more officers caught RCMP off guard, Lucki testifies
Mayor, police chief made unusual public demand for reinforcements Feb. 7
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki was surprised and perplexed by a public request from Ottawa's mayor and police chief for 1,800 more officers to help end last winter's convoy protest in the capital.
Lucki is testifying Tuesday before the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is examining the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14.
One week earlier, on Feb. 7, former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson and then police board chair Diane Deans wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino asking for "1,000 regular officers, 600 public order officers, 100 investigative officers, 100 civilian staff, and all supporting resources" to help Ottawa police end the protest, which had by then become an occupation of parts of the city's downtown.
"We need your help to end this siege in the heart of the nation's capital and in our residential neighbourhoods, and to regain control of our city," Watson and Deans wrote.
Former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly repeated the request in a public statement that same day.
'We needed to see a plan'
On Tuesday, Lucki told the commission the request "caught us off-guard because we didn't have those discussions with chief Sloly up to that time. There was talk about increasing the resources for enforcement, but we didn't get into any specifics until this letter came out."
According to a summary of her pre-inquiry interview with commission counsel, Lucki believed Watson's understanding of the number of RCMP officers being provided was "incorrect," but she was also under the impression that "Chief Sloly believed these political conversations were necessary to obtain resources. She disagreed and told Chief Sloly that it was unhelpful to involve Mayor Watson in the resource request process because the mayor did not know how many and what types of officers were required."
Nor was it clear whether some of those 1,800 officers would come from Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) or other municipal forces, Lucki testified.
"We were under the impression that it was 1,800 between all of us, and what did that mean? Who was going to provide what resource?" Lucki said. "We needed to see a plan."
Lucki testified that she and OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique were finally briefed on an integrated policing plan on Feb 11.
Chief's request 'unusual'
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, who was interviewed but is not scheduled to testify before the commission, told counsel it was "unusual for Chief Sloly to publicize the resource request."
Other police officials have testified that making such details public risks revealing operational tactics, and is generally discouraged.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Michael Duheme, who also testified Tuesday, said the force provided 50 front-line officers to Ottawa police after it became clear the protest would stretch beyond the first weekend. Approximately 200 more RCMP officers were assigned to protective duties in the capital but were available for reassignment, Duheme said.
As the occupation wore on, the RCMP provided more reinforcements, culminating in a total of 1,100 officers drawn from across the country by the time police finally moved in to clear the downtown.
"That's a significant lift," Duheme testified. "We have ongoing investigations that we cannot stop."
Normally, any RCMP reinforcements for Ottawa would first be drawn from Ontario and Quebec, the commission heard. Larger redeployments require exhaustive planning, the witnesses testified Tuesday.
Confusion, suspicion
The commission has also heard that prior to the request for 1,800 more officers, Sloly had made it known that he planned to ask for twice the number of officers he actually needed, adding to the confusion and suspicion among other police commanders.
"I wasn't sure if that was an ask, and it was starting to sound like a broken record where, without a plan, both us and the OPP were kind of struggling as to what types of resources do you actually need to assist in addressing the issue in Ottawa?" said Duheme, whose notes indicated he was aware of Sloly's strategy to ask for double the number of officers needed.
Lucki also testified Tuesday that she didn't fully understand until briefed later by Carrique that under Ontario's Police Services Act, Ottawa police should have made their initial request for more officers to the OPP.
"I didn't know the nuances of the Ontario police act until this convoy," she testified.
In the end, Lucki said, the RCMP provided all resources requested.
"We fulfilled those requests," she told the commission.
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Brenda Lucki testifies federal officials were losing confidence in Ottawa police to end the Freedom Convoy
'We always got the same question each and every day; When is this going to end?' RCMP Commissioner testifies
CMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki testifies Tuesday before the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act. OTTAWA — RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki testified that last winter federal politicians and bureaucrats were frustrated the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa seemed to only be growing bigger and some were losing confidence in the Ottawa police to end it.
Lucki is testifying at the inquiry into the Trudeau government’s use of the act. On Monday, the commission released a CSIS document indicating the intelligence agency didn’t view the Freedom Convoy protests as posing a national security threat, a key threshold for invoking the act.
Lucki said that as she sat in meetings with bureaucrats and cabinet ministers there was a growing frustration with the Ottawa Police Services’ response.
“We always got the same question each and every day; When is this going to end? And how is it going to end? And we really couldn’t answer that,” she testified.
She said no one directly said they had lost faith in the Ottawa police, but it was clear that they were losing confidence.
“It was my observation by the various comments about how come this is still going on? When is this going to end? How come it’s getting bigger?” she said. “I could hear the impatience. I could hear the frustration and from that inferred that they were losing confidence.”
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CSIS told government Freedom Convoy didn't pose national security threat day before Emergencies Act invoked
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U.S., other countries very concerned about convoy protests, diplomats testify
Lucki’s witness statement indicates she didn’t offer a view to cabinet on whether they had met the legal thresholds to invoke Emergencies Act. She did say in her witness statement that when the government invoked the act she believed there were still existing laws to resolve the crisis.
Lucki was pressed by commission counsel on whether she had a chance to tell the government – as it was about to decide whether to invoke the Emergencies Act — that in her view, police hadn’t exhausted all the tools they had available to them.
Lucki said she couldn’t recall whether that was indeed the case, but agreed various meeting notes related to the Feb. 13 meeting of the Incident Report Group, a key cabinet committee, indicated she hadn’t had a chance to update the government at that meeting. The government invoked the Emergencies Act a day later, on Feb. 14.
After weeks of delays, by Feb. 13, police in Ottawa had a plan in place, one that didn’t require the Emergencies Act to end the protest. Commission counsel Gordon Cameron pressed her on whether she believed that information was important for the government to know.
“Cabinet is on the verge of invoking the Emergencies Act. You are their window on law enforcement,” said commission counsel Gordon Cameron. “You as the commissioner of the RCMP consider that plan to be workable without the authorities of the Emergencies Act.”
“And that doesn’t get delivered. Your messages don’t get delivered to cabinet, when they then deliberate on the invocation of the act. You appreciate the significance of that scenario?” Cameron asked.
Lucki responded both “yes and no,” adding that she had previously told government a plan by police was in the works. “It wasn’t a brand new concept,” she said.
Cameron asked Lucki whether it occurred to her she should make sure the government was aware of her views before it decided whether to invoke the Emergencies Act.
“I guess in hindsight, yeah, that might have been something significant,” Lucki responded, adding there was a lot of “information going back and forth.” She said she knew only that the government was talking about invoking the act, and not “where they were at.”
“It was very, very fluid,” she said.
Lucki said she’s not sure if delivering that message would have made a difference. She said now, in hindsight, “those authorities ended up to be useful with the plan.”
In her witness statement to the commission submitted before her testimony, Lucki said she didn’t believe it was required to clear the protests in RCMP jurisdictions, such as the protests at the Canada-U.S. border in Coutts, Alta., and Emerson, Man.
She testified the financial powers granted under the act to freeze the protesters’ bank accounts had an impact.
“The federal emergency declaration sent a message to protesters that the federal government and police meant business,” she said in the statement.
Similar to testimony from other senior police officers, Lucki said the RCMP struggled to get a comprehensive plan to end the protests from the Ottawa police. She said they were taken by surprise when then Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said he needed 1,800 officers.
She said it was unclear how many of those officers Sloly wanted from the RCMP and with what training and capabilities. She said it was also unclear how and when they would be used.
She said the RCMP can move officers across the country, but they have responsibilities in their home provinces.
“We have to know when we draw them out, how long are they going to be gone? When are they going to be replaced? How are they going to get there?”
More to come …
Twitter: RyanTumilty
Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com
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Constituency Office at 416-972-9749
All physical mail sent to the Toronto Centre Constituency office or
our Ottawa Office will be subject to delays in retrieving since our
offices are physically closed due to COVID-19.
If you have inquiries regarding Municipal Concerns:
please contact Robin Buxton Potts, your City Councillor for Ward 13
Email: councillor_BuxtonPotts@
Phone: 416-392-7903
If you have inquiries regarding Provincial Concerns:
please contact Kristyn Wong-Tam, your Member of Provincial Parliament
for Toronto Centre
Email: Kwong-Tam-QP@ndp.on.ca
Phone: 416-972-7683
If you are unsure whether your issue is of a Federal, Municipal, or
Provincial matter please visit the following website:
https://lop.parl.ca/About/
If this is an emergency please call 9-1-1.
If you are sick, or looking for information on COVID-19 and how to
prevent spreading the virus, please visit the following websites:
www.Canada.ca/Coronavirus<http
www.ontario.ca/coronavirus<htt
https://www.toronto.ca/home/
The following telephone numbers may be useful, although please read
the instructions on the websites before calling in to ensure that the
phone lines are open for those most in need:
· Public Health Agency of Canada: 1-833-784-4397
· Tele-health Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
· Toronto Public Health: 416-338-7600
For 24/7 Mental Health and Wellness Services
please visit: www.wellnesstogether.ca<http:/
or text WELLNESS to 741741 or call 1-866-585-0445 (Adults)
or text WELLNESS to 686868 or call 1-888-668-6810 (Youth)
For 24/7 First Nations and Inuit Wellness Services
please call: 1‑855‑242-3310
For 24/7 Crisis Line for Residential School Survivors
please call: 1 (866) 925-4419
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Kindest Regards
Toronto Centre stands on the traditional territory of many nations
including the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Anishinabeg, the
Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Green, Matthew - M.P." <Matthew.Green@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 15:04:31 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: YO Larry Brock Someone Is Lying Big Time today?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for your email and for taking the time to contact the
office of MP Matthew Green to express your views. This automatic
response is to let you know that we have received your message.
For the most up to date information on Canada’s response to COVID-19
as well as information on financial assistance and travel restrictions
please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en.html
Please note: Our office is currently closed to the public due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Our staff continue to work on your behalf, but no
in-person meetings will be scheduled at this time. Please be assured
that casework emails will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member
and you can always contact our office by phone at (905) 526-0770.
Due to much higher than normal levels of correspondence, our response
time for non-urgent requests has temporarily increased as we
prioritize urgent emails from constituents of Hamilton Centre and
emails related to Matthew’s critic responsibilities.
Form letter campaigns, anonymous or cc’ed emails as well as
non-critic/non-riding correspondence may not receive a direct response
and it may take several weeks for you to receive a response to your
inquiry.
Thank you again for writing, and please be assured that all email sent
to my office is treated as confidential.
______________________________
Bonjour. Nous accusons réception de votre message et vous remercions
d’avoir écrit au bureau du député Matthew Green. Ceci est une réponse
automatique.
Pour des renseignements à jour sur la réponse du Canada à la COVID-19,
l’aide financière et les restrictions de voyage, consultez
https://www.canada.ca/fr.html.
Veuillez noter que notre bureau est fermé en raison de la pandémie de
COVID-19. Notre personnel continue de travailler pour vous, mais nous
ne pouvons organiser de rencontre en personne pour l’instant. Sachez
cependant que tous les courriels sont acheminés à qui de droit et que
vous pouvez toujours nous contacter par téléphone au 905-526-0770.
Comme nous recevons beaucoup plus de correspondance qu’en temps
normal, les délais de réponse aux demandes non urgentes sont plus
longs. Notre priorité va aux courriels urgents venant des habitants de
la circonscription de Hamilton-Centre ou portant sur les
responsabilités essentielles de M. Green.
Il se pourrait que nous ne répondions pas directement aux campagnes de
lettres, aux courriels anonymes, aux courriels envoyés en copie
conforme (c.c.) et à la correspondance ne portant pas sur des
questions essentielles ou relatives à la circonscription. Il pourrait
s’écouler plusieurs semaines avant que nous puissions y répondre.
Nous vous remercions de nous avoir écrit et sachez que tous les
courriels envoyés à mon bureau sont traités confidentiellement.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 11:02:03 -0400
Subject: YO Larry Brock Someone Is Lying Big Time today?
To: larry.brock@parl.gc.ca, "Matthew.Green"
<Matthew.Green@parl.gc.ca>, 4iamcaper@gmail.com, Clint
<clint@strawmanstory.info>, "erin.otoole" <erin.otoole@parl.gc.ca>,
"jagmeet.singh" <jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>,
"Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, "Candice.Bergen"
<Candice.Bergen@parl.gc.ca>, "brian@brianruhe.ca"
<brian@brianruhe.ca>, "david@freiheitlegal.com"
<david@freiheitlegal.com>, "micote@postmedia.com"
<micote@postmedia.com>, "Newsroom@globeandmail.com"
<Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, "David.Akin@globalnews.ca"
<David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, "news@dailygleaner.com"
<news@dailygleaner.com>, "news@kingscorecord.com"
<news@kingscorecord.com>, "david@vivafrei.com" <david@vivafrei.com>,
"jwlpeace@gmail.com" <jwlpeace@gmail.com>, "David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca"
<David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, "washington.field@ic.fbi.gov"
<washington.field@ic.fbi.gov>, "mcu@justice.gc.ca"
<mcu@justice.gc.ca>, "jfetzer@d.umn.edu" <jfetzer@d.umn.edu>,
"Jim@moonrockbooks.com" <Jim@moonrockbooks.com>,
"larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca" <larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca>,
"larry.campbell@sen.parl.gc.ca
"lionel@lionelmedia.com" <lionel@lionelmedia.com>, oldmaison
<oldmaison@yahoo.com>, "andre@jafaust.com" <andre@jafaust.com>,
"jbosnitch@gmail.com" <jbosnitch@gmail.com>, "paul@paulfromm.com"
<paul@paulfromm.com>, "Frank.McKenna" <Frank.McKenna@td.com>, premier
<premier@ontario.ca>, "christine.elliottco"
<christine.elliottco@pc.ola.
<caroline@carolinemulroney.ca>
<rpna.info@gmail.com>, "kristyn@kristynwongtam.ca"
<kristyn@kristynwongtam.ca>, "david@davidmorris.ca"
<david@davidmorris.ca>, "nickiward@gpo.ca" <nickiward@gpo.ca>,
"media@votecommunist.com" <media@votecommunist.com>,
"ron.shaw@magnacom.ca" <ron.shaw@magnacom.ca>,
"matthew.ricchiazzi@gmail.com" <matthew.ricchiazzi@gmail.com>
"marci.ien@parl.gc.ca" <marci.ien@parl.gc.ca>,
"fin.minfinance-financemin.
<fin.minfinance-financemin.
<Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca>
<Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, "Mike.Comeau" <Mike.Comeau@gnb.ca>,
"blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "liveneedtoknow@gmail.com"
<liveneedtoknow@gmail.com>, "James@jamesfetzer.com"
<James@jamesfetzer.com>, "traversy.n@gmail.com"
<traversy.n@gmail.com>, kingpatrick278 <kingpatrick278@gmail.com>,
"freedomreport.ca" <freedomreport.ca@gmail.com>, "Paul.Lynch"
<Paul.Lynch@edmontonpolice.ca>
<Mark.Blakely@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "martin.gaudet"
<martin.gaudet@fredericton.ca>
"irwincotler@rwchr.org" <irwincotler@rwchr.org>,
"jeromecorsi6554@gmail.com" <jeromecorsi6554@gmail.com>, "Kaycee.Madu"
<Kaycee.Madu@gov.ab.ca>, "Ian.Shugart" <Ian.Shugart@pco-bcp.gc.ca>,
jcarpay <jcarpay@jccf.ca>, sheilagunnreid <sheilagunnreid@gmail.com>,
"Michelle.Boutin" <Michelle.Boutin@rcmp-grc.gc.
<warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, rokaku8
<rokaku8@gmail.com>, paulpalango <paulpalango@protonmail.com>,
nsinvestigators <nsinvestigators@gmail.com>, NightTimePodcast
<NightTimePodcast@gmail.com>, "Brenda.Lucki"
<Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Michael.Duheme"
<Michael.Duheme@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
https://davidraymondamos3.
PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMMISSION INQUIRY Day 23 - November 15, 2022
Lilley - WHY does Brenda Lucki still have a job?
21 Comments
BRENDA LUCKI RCMP LIVE PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMISSION INQUIRY Day 23 - November 15, 2022
@Andrew J
Odds of witnessing another rare side effect ? PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMMISSION INQUIRY Day 22 - November 14, 2022
FEDS ON THE HOT SEAT Highlights Public Order Emergency Commission, November 14 2022
171 Comments
Methinks Old Joe the sneaky NDP lawyer has been replaced N'esy Pas?
Colin Bird, Consul General of Canada in Detroit, United States
Biography
Colin Bird (ALB Hons [Government Studies], Harvard University, 1994; LLB Hons, University of Ottawa, 2003) joined Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2009. He has served as counsel to the NAFTA Secretariat and in the department’s Trade Law Bureau, where he focused on trade remedies and aerospace and softwood lumber trade issues, and he was a director in the North America Bureau of the Trade Negotiations Branch. Until 2019, Mr. Bird served as minister-counsellor for trade and economic policy at the embassy in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for all aspects of the United States-Canada trade relationship, including the 2 countries’ cooperation in multilateral forums. He has also represented Canada before dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body at the World Trade Organization. Most recently, he was the executive director in the Trade Policy Branch responsible for multilateral trade matters, particularly Canada’s membership in the World Trade Organization, and served as Canada’s senior trade official at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, where he chaired the Trade Committee, and at the G7 and G20.
Telephone: 1-844-880-6519
Fax: (313) 446-4746
Email: ccs.scc@international.gc.ca
Joseph John Comartin (born December 26, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. Comartin joined the New Democratic Party in 1969 and represented the party in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 to 2015. He is currently consul general of Canada in Detroit.[1]
Life and career
Comartin was born in Stoney Point, Ontario. A civil litigation lawyer based in Windsor, Ontario, Comartin enjoyed strong support from local union members when he ran for a seat in the House of Commons, but narrowly lost in the 1997 general election and in a 1999 by-election.
He won the seat in the 2000 election, becoming the first federal NDP candidate to win a seat in Ontario in ten years (Mike Breaugh of Oshawa had been the last to win in a 1990 by-election ). He was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011.
Comartin stood as a candidate in the leadership of the NDP in 2003, and finished fourth.
He was the Opposition House Leader from October 18, 2011 to April 19, 2012.
On September 17, 2012, due to the resignation of Denise Savoie, Comartin was chosen to become Deputy Speaker.[2][3]
In July 2014, Comartin announced that he was not running for another term in the 2015 election.[4]
Government department worried about flag being 'misused' in copycat protests, Emergencies Act inquiry hears
Public Order Emergency Commission heard about GAC's international concerns Monday
"GAC continues to monitor the situation in the U.S. and around the world," wrote a diplomat in a Feb. 14 email labelled "top level messaging."
"Concerned that the Canadian 'model' is being exported and that the Canadian flag is being (mis-)used as a symbol to fuel protests in capitals around the world."
The email mentioned protesters in France, Belgium, Netherlands and New Zealand.
WATCH | Global Affairs official address how the convoy protests affected Canada's international reputation
Cindy Termorshuizen, assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Monday that the department was concerned about how the protests were affecting Canada's international reputation.
Primarily, she said, GAC worried about how the blockades were damaging trade routes and tarnishing Canada's reputation as a place to invest.
Termorshuizen said the department's concerns also extended to what the Canadian flag was being used to represent when it was waved at protests around the world.
A 'symbol of defiance of the law'
"I think we were also really concerned from a broader reputational perspective that our flag was being used in some of these copycat protests that were happening around the world," Termorshuizen told the inquiry.
"The flag is a symbol of our country and it was being used, frankly, as a symbol of defiance of the law and we were quite concerned about those reputational impacts."
Canadian protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions gridlocked streets in downtown Ottawa for nearly three weeks last winter. Similar protests blocked access to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. — the busiest trade route between Canada and the U.S. — and the border crossing in Coutts, Alta.
Joe Comartin, former Canadian consul general in Detroit, testified that he was hearing concerns from U.S. lawmakers about the blockades.
"One of the messages was the impact it was having on the supply chain," he said.
"They were also expressing, repeatedly, why isn't Canada doing more? Their analysis was that the three levels of government were not cooperating, didn't have a coordinated plan. That was the perception they had."
The commission is looking into the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to clear the protests.
The inquiry will continue to hear from from witnesses over the next two weeks. Commissioner Paul Rouleau's final report is due in February.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
---------- Original message ----------
From: Brendan Miller <bmiller@fosterllp.ca>
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2022 21:53:38 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks Trudeau The Younger and his buddy
Higgy wish that I did not save this video N'esy Pas Norm Traversy?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Please be advised that from October 10, 2022 at 12:00AM through to and
including November 25, 2022 at 11:59AM I will have limited access to
my email, being email address
bmiller@fosterllp.ca<mailto:bm
the office.
Though I typically accept services of applications, court process, and
other documents via email, I will not be accepting service of same for
the period of October 10, 2022 at 12:00AM through to and including
November 25, 2022 at 11:59AM.
If there is correspondence you absolutely need to send during the
above time-period, you may send same by fax to Foster LLP
(403-266-4741) to the attention of all three following lawyers please:
(i) Leigh Sherry.
(ii) Peter Crozier; &
(iii) Rupert Joshi.
If there is an emergency application or matter during the above
time-period, you may serve the same by fax to Foster LLP
(403-266-4741) to the attention of all three following lawyers please:
(i) Leigh Sherry.
(ii) Peter Crozier; &
(iii) Rupert Joshi.
If there is an emergency requiring that you speak to me by phone
during the above time-period and you do not already have my cellphone
number, please email Bethany DeWolfe at
bdewolfe@fosterllp.ca<mailto:b
provide to you. Thereafter, please text or Imessage me regarding who
it is and what you need, and I will get back to you.
If prior to October 10, 2022 you need to contact me about something on
a file or what to deal with something before October 10, 2022, please
do so now.
If we have provided agreed to dates or have dates booked for steps in
litigation, questioning, court, or something of the like, those dates
stand and will be going ahead with counsel from my firm, or agent
counsel in lieu of my appearance, and should stay in your calendar.
This letter is not to be interpreted as agreement to adjourn or cancel
anything.
From: Shantona Chaudhury <Shantona@papechaudhury.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:59:26 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks Rohan Kumar Pall and his pals
should not be surprised by Robert Bernier and his fellow Ottawa cops
trying to play dumb todasyu N'esy Pas Frank Au?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Please note that I am currently serving as Co-Lead Counsel to the
Public Order Emergency Commission and may not be able to respond to
your email. If you need to reach me, please contact my assistant,
Nichole Denney (416-681-8001, nichole@papechaudhury.com) or Wing Lam
(416-364-8755, wing@papechaudhury.com)
---------- Original message ----------
From: Natalia Rodriguez <NRodriguez@conwaylitigation.
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:59:25 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks Rohan Kumar Pall and his pals
should not be surprised by Robert Bernier and his fellow Ottawa cops
trying to play dumb todasyu N'esy Pas Frank Au?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for your email. I am currently serving as Senior Commission
Counsel to the Public Order Emergency Commission until the end of
2022. I will be checking this email less frequently and my response
time will be delayed as a result.
If your matter is urgent, please contact my assistant Doreen Navarro
at dnavarro@conwaylitigation.ca.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Morris, Pat (OPP)" <Pat.Morris@opp.ca>
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2022 14:01:57 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks Rohan Kumar Pall and his pals
should not be surprised by Robert Bernier and his fellow Ottawa cops
trying to play dumb todasyu N'esy Pas Frank Au?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
CAUTION -- EXTERNAL E-MAIL - Do not click links or open attachments in
unexpected emails.
?Hello, from October 24h to October 26th, I will be working out of the
office and unable to receive or return messages most of the time.
Acting Supt. Kirsten Clarke will be acting for me in POIB. I will
return on October 27th.
Thank you
Pat Morris
Superintendent
Bureau Commander
Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau
CSIS didn't feel convoy protests constituted a national security threat under the law: documents
Emergencies Act inquiry is reviewing whether the government was justified enacting legislation
The intelligence assessment comes as the Public Order Emergency Commission assesses whether the federal government met the legal threshold to invoke the Emergencies Act to clear Ottawa of protesters last winter.
Like all witnesses appearing before the commission David Vigneault, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), sat for an interview with the inquiry's lawyers over the summer.
A summary of that conversation was shared with journalists Monday.
"Mr. Vigneault stated that at no point did the service assess that the protests in Ottawa or elsewhere [those referred to as the "Freedom Convoy" and related protests and blockades in January-February 2022] constituted a threat to security of Canada as defined by section 2 of the CSIS Act and that CSIS cannot investigate actively constituting lawful protest," reads the document.
The CSIS Act defines "threats to the security of Canada" as:
- Espionage or sabotage that is against Canada or is detrimental to the interests of Canada, or activities directed toward or in support of such espionage or sabotage.
- Foreign influenced activities within or relating to Canada that are detrimental to the interests of Canada and are clandestine or deceptive, or involve a threat to any person.
- Activities within or relating to Canada directed toward, or in support of, the threat or use of acts of serious violence against persons or property for the purpose of achieving a political, religious or ideological objective within Canada or a foreign state.
- Activities directed toward undermining by covert unlawful acts, or directed toward or intended ultimately to lead to the destruction or overthrow by violence of, the constitutionally established system of government in Canada.
In order to declare a public order emergency, the Emergencies Act requires that there be "an emergency that arises from threats to the security of Canada that are so serious as to be a national emergency" and defers to CSIS's definition of "threats to the security of Canada."
A demonstrator screams and bangs gas canisters together during the
ongoing protest in Ottawa Feb. 10, 2022. (Blair Gable/Reuters)
Vigneault told the commission lawyers he learned the Emergencies Act cited the CSIS Act once the government began to seriously consider invoking the legislation around Feb. 10-13.
"He requested that the service prepare a threat assessment on the risks associated with the invocation of the Emergencies Act," said Vigneault's interview summary.
"He felt an obligation to clearly convey the service's position that there did not exist a threat to the security of Canada as defined by the service's legal mandate."
That assessment showed CSIS felt that invoking the Emergencies Act would "galvanize" members of the self-styled Freedom Convoy and radicalize some toward engaging in violence.
In his interview with commission lawyers, Vigneault also said that the threshold imposed by the CSIS Act is very specific.
"For example, the determination that something may not constitute a threat to national security under section 2 of the act does not preclude a determination that a national security threat under a broader definition, or from the perspective of the public, does exist," says the summary of Vigneault's interview.
DM says cabinet felt threshold was met
Vigneault and another CSIS official, deputy director of operations Michelle Tessier, told the commission in that summer interview that "the service had subjects of investigation who showed interest or participated in the convoy."
Under cross examination by lawyer Brendan Miller — who represents convoy protest organizers, including Tamara Lich and Chris Barber — former deputy minister of Public Safety Rob Stewart said the government would have a more broad interpretation of what constitutes a national security threat.
"The cabinet is making that decision and their interpretation of the law is what governs here and the advice they get," said Stewart, who has since moved to another government department.
"And their decision was, evidently, the threshold was met."
Rob
Stewart, deputy minister of Public Safety, left, and Dominic Rochon,
senior assistant deputy minister, National and Cyber Security Branch at
Public Safety Canada, appear before the Public Order Emergency
Commission in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act on Feb. 14, arguing its temporary powers were needed to end blockades in Ottawa and at border crossings.
The day after the act was triggered, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino defended his government's decision on national security grounds, saying that several of the individuals involved in the blockade at the border crossing in Coutts, Alta. had "strong ties to a far-right extreme organization with leaders who are in Ottawa."
"You have the RCMP, you have CSIS, you have the entire intelligence apparatus in the federal government and none of them said that this threshold was met, did they?" Miller asked Stewart.
"They weren't asked," Stewart said.
Vigneault told the commission that one of the main challenges with CSIS's mandate to pursue ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE) is distinguishing between credible threats of violence that are ideologically motivated and online rhetoric that is violent or may constitute hate speech.
IMVE is a broad term used by CSIS to cover extremism based on various grievances, including those expressed by far-right, anti-government and racist groups.
In the summary document, Vigneault described IMVE as a funnel — the largest part of it covers acts and language which are "awful but lawful," while online and real-world activities that meet the CSIS Act threshold are found at the narrowest part of the funnel.
Tessier added that CSIS is not investigating the movement opposed to pandemic public health measures because it would only qualify as a form of IMVE if it promoted serious violence.
CSIS didn't look at GiveSendGo leak
CSIS also concluded there was no indication of foreign state interference in the convoy protests.
"CSIS did not assess that any foreign states supported the protests through funding; that foreign states deployed covert or overt disinformation techniques; or that any foreign state actors attempted to enter into Canada to support the protests," said the summary of the inquiry's interviews with Vigneault and Tessier.
That determination didn't take into account the list of donors that became public as a result of a leak of the GiveSendGo database, Vigneault told the commission lawyers.
In February, hackers took down the GiveSendGo website and released a spreadsheet containing names, emails and dollar amounts related to nearly 93,000 individuals who purportedly donated money to support the protest.
Vigneault told commission lawyers CSIS's position was that the GiveSendGo donor list did not constitute publicly available information, given that it was the result of a data breach, and would have required judicial authorization for its use and retention.
Tessier said the service decided not to apply to the court to access the data for several reasons — including the data's intelligence value, its analysis by other agencies and the time required to file an application for a section judicial authorization, which would render the data far less useful.
According to information provided by GiveSendGo to the commission, more than half of donations to its "Freedom Convoy" campaign — 59 per cent — were from the United States, and about 35 per cent were from Canada.
More than 6,300 donations, making up more than half a million dollars, came from other countries.
Vigneault and Tessier are expected to testify in person next week.
Intelligence sharing problems plagued early days of protest: officials
Earlier this morning, the commission heard of problems with how information and intelligence was gathered and shared leading up to the protest's first weekend.
"Intelligence is not an exact science. It's not foolproof. Just because you have a piece of intelligence doesn't mean you have the full picture," Dominic Rochon, former senior assistant deputy minister of the Department of Public Safety's national security and cyber security, told the Public Order Emergency Commission.
"It becomes a very difficult mosaic to try and pull together in terms of pulling together intelligence emanating from [the Canadian Security Intelligence Service], emanating from police forces, emanating from Canada Border Services Agency."
Rochon said that before the convoy arrived in Ottawa, the federal department had not received any intelligence from CSIS or the RCMP warning it of the need to prepare for a significant event.
Protesters against COVID-19 restrictions used big rigs and other vehicles to block access to parts of Ottawa's downtown for nearly three weeks.
Both Rochon and Stewart sat with the commission for an interview in September. A summary of their conversation was made public Monday.
"As DM Stewart said, it is clear that they did not foresee that the convoy would be as big as it was and stay in Ottawa for as long as it did. In his view, there was an issue with information and intelligence gathering and sharing about the events," said the document.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki looks on during Canada Day celebrations
in Ottawa on Friday, July 1, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
"The CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency] and police of jurisdiction at ports of entry did not foresee that vehicles would arrive and park on highways, ramps and bridges, and the OPS [Ottawa Police Service] did not foresee that trucks would park in downtown Ottawa for as long as they did."
Stewart told the commission's lawyers that law enforcement agencies — especially the RCMP — would have been "extremely reticent" to share specific intelligence about the convoy with people at the political level, according to his interview.
"The convoy highlighted that there are issues with the flow of information from law enforcement to the government," said the summary document.
"For example, when the threats arise from ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE) rhetoric online, Public Safety and its agencies feel very under-equipped and under-prepared to gather and share intelligence about those threats and respond to them."
'The situation was proliferating'
Stewart told the commission's lawyers that invoking the Emergencies Act became a real option around Feb. 11, before the blockades at border crossings in Windsor, Ont. and Coutts, Alta. were cleared.
"The situation was proliferating and made even worse by the trade implications, the reputational impacts on Canada, and the IMVE [ideologically motivated violent extremism] implications," said his interview summary.
WATCH | DM questions Ontario's response to Ottawa protests in testimony
"There were also concerns that some of the individuals taking part in the convoy were trained security professionals and some were ex-military. It appeared as though local law enforcement could not resolve it and they were unable to enforce municipal or provincial authorities."
Commission hearing from federal officials in final 2 weeks
Later in the week, the commission will hear from RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and other Mounties.
Some of Lucki's texts with her Ontario Provincial Police counterpart have been presented to the commission already.
In those texts, she wrote that the federal government was already losing confidence in the Ottawa police just one week into the protests.
Jody
Thomas, national security and intelligence adviser to the prime
minister, arrives at the West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on
Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
"Between you and I only, (Government of Canada) is losing (or) lost confidence in OPS, we gotta get to safe action (or) enforcement," Lucki texted OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.
"'Cause if they go the Emergency Measures Act, you or (I) may be brought into lead, not something I want."
Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki (the top Mountie in Alberta), the RCMP's head of federal policing Michael Duheme and former head of the Canada Border Services Agency John Ossowski are also on the witness list.
In its penultimate week, the commission will also hear from Jody Thomas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security intelligence adviser, who has publicly defended the decision to use the act.
She told a March 10 security and defence conference that protesters were "dug in" and "there's no doubt [they] came to overthrow the government."
Witnesses rounding out the week include:
-
Michael Keenan, deputy minister at Transport Canada.
-
Christian Dea, chief economist at Transport Canada.
-
Michael Sabia, deputy minister at the Department of Finance Canada.
-
Rhys Mendes, assistant deputy minister at the Department of Finance Canada.
-
Isabelle Jacques, assistant deputy minister at the Department of Finance Canada.
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Jacquie Bogden, deputy secretary to the cabinet on emergency preparedness and COVID recovery.
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Janice Charette, clerk of the Privy Council.
-
Nathalie Drouin, deputy clerk of the Privy Council
The commission finishes hearing from witnesses on Nov. 25.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and Prime Minister Trudeau will all testify in the final week.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With file from the Canadian Press
Trudeau aide's notes detail call with premiers just hours before Emergencies Act invoked
Premiers were deeply divided, with one fearing ‘bloodshed’ if military was called in
A collection of deputy chief of staff Brian Clow's notes were entered into evidence Thursday before the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is investigating the federal government's decision to trigger the never-before-used law on Feb. 14. The notes cover Trudeau's call with the premiers hours before invoking the Emergencies Act.
The Emergencies Act requires the federal government to consult with the provincial and territorial premiers before triggering its emergency policing powers. The quality of those consultations has been raised as an issue at the inquiry already.
According to Clow's notes, the premiers weighed in with various views.
He wrote that then-Alberta premier Jason Kenney described the situation in Coutts, Alta, telling the room that intelligence showed a hardcore, violent group was ready to die for the cause.
For two weeks, anti-COVID-19 protesters used heavy trucks and other vehicles to block a major commercial access route between Coutts and the U.S.
Clow wrote that Kenney said he didn't "quibble" with the act's use but felt there were other ways to resolve the problem.
The call happened as police in Alberta were in the midst of trying to bring the blockade to an end. They arrested some protesters, seized weapons and ammunition and negotiated with the remaining protesters to get them to leave the area.
In an interview with the National Post Thursday, Kenney confirmed some details from those Feb. 14 meeting notes, saying that while he opposed the use of the act, he was prepared to defer to the provincial government in Ontario if it felt it would help end the protests in Ottawa.
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says the Emergencies Act should not
have been applied to the entire country. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian
Press)
According to the notes, British Columbia Premier John Horgan said he supported the move but feared bringing in emergency powers would embolden the demonstrators.
"I do worry [about] too heavy of a hand," Horgan said on the call, according to Clow.
The notes say Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe opposed the use of the Emergencies Act and worried about the move inflaming the protests further. Clow wrote that Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also was worried about provoking protesters.
The notes say Quebec Premier François Legault told Trudeau and his fellow premiers that he strongly opposed using the Emergencies Act, while New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said his province had been able to handle the protest and he didn't want the act to apply to in New Brunswick.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the call he strongly supported the use of the Emergencies Act, according to Clow's notes. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey and P.E.I. Premier Dennis King also expressed some support for its use to handle the protest that gridlocked parts of Ottawa for three weeks.
Military is 'last resort,' PM tells call
According to Clow's notes, Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane wanted to be sure the armed forces wouldn't be called in.
"I really don't want to see bloodshed," she said, according to the notes.
Trudeau reassured the premiers that the military was a "last resort," the notes say.
The Emergencies Act requires that all provinces "in which the direct effects of the emergency occur" be consulted before the act is invoked.
Counsel for the province of Saskatchewan argued during opening submissions before the Public Order Emergency Commission that the federal government already had decided to invoke the act before the call on Feb. 14.
"The call was not so much about consulting as it was about telling," said lawyer Michael Morris.
The provincial government of Alberta shares that view.
"Alberta's views were only asked for after the decision was apparently made, and they were basically ignored," said lawyer Mandy England.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LIVE PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMISSION INQUIRY Day 22 - November 14, 2022
any update on lawyer that passed out?? Ottawa, Ontario
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service:
Graham Flack, currently Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development, becomes Secretary of the Treasury Board, effective January 10, 2022.
Jean-François Tremblay, currently Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, becomes Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development, effective January 10, 2022.
Jody Thomas, currently Deputy Minister of National Defence, becomes National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, effective January 11, 2022.
Bill Matthews, currently Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, becomes Deputy Minister of National Defence, effective January 11, 2022.
John Hannaford, currently Deputy Minister of International Trade, becomes Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, effective January 10, 2022.
David Morrison, currently Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G7 Summit, becomes Deputy Minister of International Trade and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G7 Summit, effective January 11, 2022.
Christopher MacLennan, currently Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G20 Summit, becomes Deputy Minister of International Development and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G20 Summit, effective January 10, 2022.
Paul Thompson, currently Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, becomes Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, effective January 11, 2022.
Philip Jennings, currently Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations), Privy Council Office, becomes Senior Advisor to the Privy Council Office, effective January 10, 2022.
Mr. Jennings will be nominated by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance as the next Executive Director for Canada, Ireland, nine Caribbean countries, and Belize at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Until the IMF election process is complete and he is formally named to the position, Mr. Jennings will serve as Senior Advisor to the Privy Council Office.
Michael Vandergrift becomes Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations), Privy Council Office, in addition to his current role as Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Privy Council Office, effective January 10, 2022.
Jacqueline Bogden, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch, Health Canada, becomes Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Emergency Preparedness and COVID Recovery), Privy Council Office, effective January 10, 2022.
Dan Costello, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, International Security and Political Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, becomes Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, effective January 11, 2022.
Cynthia (Cindy) Termorshuizen, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, Consular, Security and Emergency Management, Global Affairs Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, effective January 10, 2022.
Daniel Rogers, currently Deputy Chief, Foreign Signals Intelligence, Communications Security Establishment Canada, becomes Associate Chief of the Communications Security Establishment, effective January 10, 2022.
Stefanie Beck, currently Deputy High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Global Affairs Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence, effective January 31, 2022.
Mala Khanna, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, Sub-Saharan Africa Branch, Global Affairs Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, effective January 10, 2022.
Francis Bilodeau, currently Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, effective January 10, 2022.
Paul Samson, currently Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, effective January 10, 2022.
The Prime Minister also congratulated the following individuals who have retired from the Public Service, and thanked them for their dedication and service to Canadians:
- Peter Wallace, Secretary of the Treasury Board
- Louise Levonian, Executive Director for Canada, Ireland, nine Caribbean countries, and Belize at the International Monetary Fund
- Vincent Rigby, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister
- Nancy Chahwan, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence
- Leslie MacLean, Deputy Minister of International Development
- Les Linklater, Senior Official at the Privy Council Office
- David McGovern, President of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
- Thao Pham, Deputy Minister, COVID Recovery, Privy Council Office
- Martine Dubuc, Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Monik Beauregard, Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety
> https://davidraymondamos3.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?
>
>
> Monday, 14 November 2022
>
> Someone Is Lying
>
> MP Brock Says Someone Is Lying
> mistersunshinebaby
> 250K subscribers
> 4,881 views Nov 13, 2022
>
>
> ---------- Original message ----------
> From: "Brock, Larry - M.P." <larry.brock@parl.gc.ca>
> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 02:23:25 +0000
> Subject: Automatic reply: RE Trudeau Invoking the Emergency Act and
> Freeland defending her liberal democracy byway of her bankster buddies
> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>
> Thank you for contacting the office of Larry Brock, Member of
> Parliament (MP) for Brantford-Brant.
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> MP Brock welcomes hearing from constituents on issues that are
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> Office of Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant
> Deputy Shadow Minister for Justice and Attorney General of Canada
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https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/rcmp-executive
RCMP executive
Role and mandate
The Senior Executive Committee (SEC) is the senior decision making forum established by the Commissioner for the development and approval of strategic, force-wide policies, pursuant to and consistent with the Commissioner's authority under section 5 of the RCMP Act.
The role of SEC is to develop, promote and communicate strategic priorities, strategic objectives, management strategies and performance management for the purpose of direction and accountability.
Senior Executive Committee
- Brenda Lucki
- Commissioner
- Brian Brennan
- Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing
- Michael Duheme
- Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing
- Bryan Larkin
- Deputy Commissioner, Specialized Policing Services
- Alison Whelan
- Chief Strategic Policy and External Relations Officer
- Jen O'Donoughue
- Chief Financial Officer
- Nadine Huggins
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Curtis Zablocki
- Deputy Commissioner, Commanding Officer for K Division
- Dwayne McDonald
- Deputy Commissioner, Commanding Officer for E Division
Biographies
Brenda Lucki
(she/her/elle)
Commissioner
Commissioner Brenda Lucki, under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, and direction of the Minister of Public Safety, has the control and management of the RCMP. This includes overseeing the delivery of front-line policing services in most provinces (except Ontario and Quebec) and all territories, law enforcement and investigative services to enforce federal laws, technology and support services to the broader policing community, and international policing duties.
Brenda Lucki was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and joined the RCMP in 1986. Throughout her career, she's served in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, at the RCMP Academy (Depot Division), as well as internationally.
Her first posting was in Granby, Quebec, in federal policing. In 1993 and 1994, she served on a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia, overseeing investigations and monitoring aid delivery.
In 1995, she transferred to the RCMP's peacekeeping program in Ottawa. Following that role, she advanced through the non-commissioned officer ranks, first as an instructor at the RCMP Academy, then as an acting Detachment Commander in Manitoba.
In 2003, she was promoted to Inspector, working as the Traffic Services Officer for Saskatchewan, followed by the Community and Contract Policing and District Operations Officer.
In 2009, she rose to the rank of Superintendent, and became a District Commander in Manitoba. In 2012, she was promoted to Chief Superintendent, and became a District Commander in Alberta.
In 2016, she was named Commanding Officer of the RCMP Academy, and on March 9, 2018, she was announced as the RCMP's 24th Commissioner.
Commissioner Lucki has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from the University of Alberta. She is married and has two step-daughters and three grandchildren.
Brian Brennan
(he/him/il)
Deputy Commissioner, Contract and Indigenous Policing
Deputy Commissioner Brian Brennan is responsible for Contract and Indigenous Policing, which includes overseeing delivery of local policing services in Canada's three territories and in all provinces except Ontario and Quebec. He and his team ensure a uniform level of service and consistent responses to operational issues that arise as a result of the RCMP's frontline policing responsibilities. They are frequently called upon to provide leadership to the broader public safety community to advance federal priorities, including providing culturally competent police services to more than 600 Indigenous communities.
Deputy Commissioner Brian Brennan joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1986 and spent the first few years of his career in Saskatchewan performing general policing duties in rural areas, Indigenous communities and isolated northern detachments
After six years in Saskatoon's Integrated Drug Unit, he became an Inspector serving as Executive Officer to the Deputy Commissioner of Operations at National Headquarters in Ottawa. In 2004, Brian became the Officer in Charge of Drug Operations for Federal and International Operations, later serving as the acting Director of Drug Branch. In 2006, he transferred to Nova Scotia as the Federal Policing Officer and went on to become the Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations where he oversaw all contract and federal law enforcement operations for the province.
In 2014, Brian became the RCMP's Commanding Officer in Nova Scotia, a position that enabled him to help advance Indigenous culture. He introduced the RCMP's first Eagle Feather as an option for Indigenous people to use when swearing oaths, then established the RCMP's first permanent sweat lodge, offering Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees a space to attend ceremonies for spiritual cleansing, self-reflection and prayer.
In addition to completing a Police Leadership Study Program at Dalhousie University, Brian has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. He holds the RCMP's Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal.
Michael Duheme
(he/him/il)
Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing
Deputy Commissioner Michael Duheme is responsible for Federal Policing, which includes overseeing the enforcement of federal laws, collection of criminal intelligence, assisting in the securing of Canada's borders, and ensuring the safety of major events, state officials, dignitaries, and foreign missions. Federal Policing is also charged with protecting Canada's institutions and national security by preserving public safety and the integrity of Canada's political and economic systems.
Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme has been an RCMP officer for more than 34 years. Hailing from Chambly, Quebec, he began his career as a general duty investigator in New Minas, Nova Scotia and since then, has gone on to work in four different provinces in a variety of roles.
In addition to serving on a Kosovo peacekeeping mission, Mike has been a member of the RCMP's Emergency Response Team, a VIP personal protection officer, Operations Commander for the Francophone Summit and Director of the Parliamentary Protective Service. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the Commanding Officer of National Division in Ottawa.
Mike is leading the effort to modernize Federal Policing, one of the RCMP's core lines of service across Canada and around the world. He strives to empower RCMP officers to create value for the communities the RCMP serves, both domestically and abroad. He feels the increasing complexity of crime can be effectively countered by improving the organization's ability to respond to threats in collaboration with its domestic and foreign partners.
Bryan Larkin
(he/him/il)
Deputy Commissioner, Specialized Policing Services
Deputy Commissioner Bryan Larkin is responsible for Specialized Policing Services, a broad range of critical services that include the Canadian Firearms Program, the Canadian Police College, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, the IM/IT Program, Forensic Science and Identification Services, Departmental Security, and Technical Operations. His responsibilities also include stewardship for National Police Services, a suite of scientific, technological and police educational programs that support the broader Canadian law enforcement community.
Bryan joins the RCMP from the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) where he served as Chief since 2014.
Bryan's extensive police leadership experience includes serving as Chief of the Guelph Police Service, as Director at the International Association of Chiefs of Police and, most recently, as President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. In his previous roles, he's accessed and relied on SPS services and gathered feedback from police agencies across Canada.
Bryan began his policing career in 1991 as a member of the WRPS, working as a front-line Constable assigned to Division #1 in Kitchener. Over the course of his career, he's held a number of progressively responsible positions including: Community and Media Relations; Special Assignments; Traffic Services; Human Resources, Recruiting; Media Officer; Executive Officer to the Chief of Police; and Superintendent of Central Division.
Alison Whelan
(she/her/elle)
Chief Strategic Policy and External Relations Officer
Chief Strategic Policy and External Relations Officer Alison Whelan has a broad range of responsibilities including: strategic policy; executive governance; external partnership and engagement; national communication services; planning and priorities; access to information and privacy; and public affairs. In addition, her sector leads Vision 150 & Beyond initiatives and identifies and supports a range of projects to help modernize the RCMP by using a diverse lens to challenge assumptions, build inclusivity and make evidence-based decisions. It also provides strategic and administrative support to the Management Advisory Board for the RCMP.
Alison has been with the RCMP since 2003, when she joined the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch as a policy analyst before taking on more senior-level roles, including acting as the Chief Strategic Policy and Planning Officer for an extended period of time. In 2013, Alison joined the RCMP's Federal Policing program where she was responsible for managing the policy development and analysis on national security, serious and organized crime, financial crime and cybercrime as Director General Strategic Policy, and later as Executive Director Strategic Policy and External Relations. In 2018, she was appointed Executive Director of National Security and Protective Policing – the first public servant to hold the position.
Alison began her professional career at the Public Policy Forum, later joining the federal public service with her first position at the National Secretariat on Homelessness. A proud Newfoundlander, Alison holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and completed the Harvard Kennedy School's Senior Executives in National and International Security program.
Jen O'Donoughue
(she/her/elle)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Jen O'Donoughue is the RCMP's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She supports the Commissioner to achieve the RCMP's strategic and operational priorities by providing guidance on financial administration, strategic investment, asset and real property management, procurement and contracting, and corporate management systems.
Originally from Northern Ontario and now based in Ottawa, Jen brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to the RCMP. In 2018, she was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She was responsible for overseeing the department's budget and for providing strategic advice to the Minister, ensuring that all plans and business decisions were based on sound financial analysis. Before that, she served as the Director General and Agency Comptroller for the Canada Border Services Agency. She managed $30 billion in annual revenue and oversaw the Agency's corporate accounting functions. She also held senior positions at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the City of Ottawa, where she led several transformation projects.
Before joining the federal public service, Jen spent eight years working in progressively senior roles for a global consulting firm. Jen began her career working for the Ottawa Police service where she held several roles. She holds a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, with a specialization in Finance.
Nadine Huggins
(she/her/elle)
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
In May 2022, Nadine Huggins became the RCMP's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), responsible for all matters related to the well-being, safety and compensation of RCMP employees. The CHRO's leadership is fundamental to many of the organization's ongoing modernization initiatives.
With several years of private sector experience and more than twenty years of accomplished public service, Nadine has built a career focussed on finding solutions to complex issues, leading teams and using a strength- based approach to promote change.
She began working for the RCMP in 2020, leading the development of our People Management Modernization. Under Nadine's direction, we created and are currently driving the People Strategy and the Vision 150 Equity Accountability and Trust action plan both of which are shifting mindsets and behaviours and preparing the RCMP to meet its future mandate.
Nadine works to build a healthy, respectful, diverse and inclusive workplace. She led the development and implementation of the RCMP's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and is now leading Recruitment Renewal to ensure our candidates have the skills, characteristics and attributes needed to meet current and future policing needs. In January 2021, she became the RCMP's first Senior Designated Official for Diversity and Inclusion, collaborating with employees who are members of diverse communities.
The CHRO is responsible for all matters related to people management policy, the well-being, safety and compensation of RCMP employees.
Curtis Zablocki
(he/him/il)
Deputy Commissioner, Commanding Officer for K Division
As Commanding Officer for K Division, Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki is responsible for overseeing Alberta, the RCMP's second largest division. K Division provides federal police services on behalf of the Government of Canada, serves as Alberta's contract provincial police force, provides contract municipal police services to large municipalities, and is a key partner in joint forces law enforcement operations.
Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, a 31-year veteran of the RCMP, was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan. In September of 2018, he was appointed the 25th Commanding Officer of the Alberta RCMP (K Division).
Curtis knew Alberta well before becoming its Commanding Officer, having spent most of his RCMP career in the province performing operational duties including district advisory and detachment command functions, and serving as the Deputy Criminal Operations Officer. He then moved to Saskatchewan where he served as Commanding Officer for two years.
When he accepted his current role, Curtis set three divisional priorities to focus and guide K Division RCMP employees: our people, our community and our service. With a strong, healthy workforce and strong relationships with the communities it serves, K Division continues to build a foundation that helps it be responsive and flexible while keeping Alberta safe.
Curtis holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminology from the University of Alberta and is a Member of the Order of Merit of Police Forces.
Dwayne McDonald
(he/him/il)
Deputy Commissioner, Commanding Officer for E Division
As Commanding Officer for E Division, Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald is responsible for overseeing the RCMP's largest division British Columbia. E Division provides federal police services on behalf of the Government of Canada, serves as British Columbia's contract provincial police force, provides contract municipal police services to large municipalities, and is a key partner in joint forces law enforcement operations.
Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald has over 29 years of experience in law enforcement having served both the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP. D/Commr. McDonald has a vast knowledge of federal, provincial and municipal policing with experience in positions of leadership and command in a number of high profile RCMP positions in British Columbia.
Most recently, Dwayne served as the Assistant Commissioner and Criminal Operations Officer for Federal, Investigative Services and Organized Crime for the province of British Columbia. He had oversight of a large portfolio of including RCMP Major Crime, Police Support Services, Criminal Intelligence, Federal Policing, National Security, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit-BC (CFSEU-BC).
Dwayne holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. He lectures at the Canadian Police College in Major Case Management, Major Crime and Kidnapping investigations. He belongs to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and is a member of a number of significant law enforcement and intelligence-related committees.
In 2015, Dwayne was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of Police Forces by The Governor General of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honorable David Johnston.
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