Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Thank you, senator, for the question. Our rationale for invoking the act, in short, was that it was necessary, and the necessity of invoking the act manifested in the challenges posed by the efforts of those participating in the illegal blockades, which created significant interruptions to not only our economy but also public safety across the country. In Coutts, for example, there were very serious charges laid under the Criminal Code, and here in Ottawa, the illegal occupation laid siege to public safety for a number of weeks. While I agree that there were laws that were on the books, what’s important, senator, is that those laws, at the time of the illegal blockades and occupation, were not effective at restoring public safety.

It was only after careful deliberation and after the advice that had been offered by all levels of the police service — including the commissioner of the RCMP, the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police — that we invoked the act. We invoked it because existing authorities were not effective. Yes, we reached deep into the tool box to use the Emergencies Act for the first time, but it was used responsibly and with restraint, and it helped to restore public safety.