Ottawa, ON — Raquel Dancho, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, Dane Lloyd, Conservative Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness, and Gérard Deltell, Conservative Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, released the following statement in response to the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act:

“Conservatives are disturbed to see the Liberal government attempting to control the scope of the public inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act in order to deflect accountability for their actions.

“The Emergencies Act is clear that the inquiry must investigate the circumstances leading up to, and the measures used in, the Emergencies Act to ensure the extraordinarily high threshold needed to invoke the Act was met. Instead, the Liberal government is directing the inquiry to focus on the actions and motivations of protesters, not those of the government, as is intended in the Act. 

“Conservatives believe the Commissioner should be given the power to compel the production of important documents and evidence including those covered under Cabinet confidence and the opinion provided to the government by the Justice Department. The Liberal government is doing everything in their power to ensure this inquiry is unsubstantial and fails to hold them accountable.

“This inquiry is critically important given the precedent invocation of the Act sets and the impact on Canadian Charter rights.

“Canadians deserve clarity and transparency, which is why the Liberal government must stop hiding behind legal tools and waive Cabinet confidence. Conservatives will hold this Liberal government accountable and uncover the answers that Canadians desperately want and deserve.”