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“The Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) initiated an investigation in April 2022 into the government’s use of the Emergencies Act during the peaceful anti-mandate protests in Ottawa in February 2022. The inquiry incurred a total cost of $17.5 million for taxpayers.
However, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter on Monday morning, the Privy Council has refused to disclose how much of those millions were allocated to legal expenses.
The Emergencies Act granted police and authorities extraordinary powers of arrest, search, and seizure to end the three-week-long trucker-led demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
According to Blacklock’s, “Public Accounts tabled in Parliament indicated the total cost of the Public Order Emergency Commission was $17,478,831. Only a single line item was detailed, a $17,171 expense claim by Justice Paul Rouleau.”
The Privy Council Office (PCO) has not revealed billable hours for lawyers, despite requests from Blacklock’s. However, the groups that received funding to offset legal fees have been disclosed by the POEC.
Lawyers representing Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and participant Tom Marazzo, as well as The Democracy Fund, Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, and the Attorneys General of Alberta and Saskatchewan, did not apply for funding.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which describes itself as a “non-profit organization that receives no government funding for its advocacy purposes,” received a subsidy from the federal government to participate in the POEC.
The Criminal Lawyers’ Association, Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, and the Ottawa Coalition of Residents and Businesses, representing nine community groups, also received funding from the POEC.
The criminal trial of convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is ongoing in Ottawa. To support their legal fees and access Rebel News’ reports from the courthouse, please visit www.TamaraTrial.com.”
