Hon. Elizabeth Marshall: Thank you, honourable senators, for your comments and speeches. We all know the history that led the government to this point, but it’s not clear how we move from a peaceful protest to the Emergencies Act.

The convoy started its journey around January 23. Media reported its progress daily, and we all knew it was headed for Parliament Hill. Each day, anyone could check to find out the location of the convoys. Media also reported on the smaller convoys headed to meet up with the larger one. We knew there were hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles and protesters headed for Parliament Hill. Even the police were reporting on the convoy. Through the media, we were told the police were monitoring the incoming convoys and that they were communicating with the organizers. Media and police emphasized that the convoy and the protesters were peaceful.

Therefore, the arrival of the convoy in Ottawa and the setting up on Parliament Hill was no surprise. What was surprising was the unimpeded access allowed to Ottawa and Parliament Hill. Governments knew the convoy was headed for Parliament Hill, yet the protesters in their large vehicles were not diverted. Despite knowing for weeks that a large convoy of vehicles and protesters was travelling to Parliament Hill as their destination, there was no plan. It was unbelievable.

There was no attempt by government to resolve the situation. Protesters were allowed to set up on Parliament Hill. It became a carnival-like atmosphere, with hot tubs, bouncy castles and food concessions. Government allowed the protesters, along with their vehicles, to take possession of Parliament Hill, downtown Ottawa and, really, almost all of Ottawa.

Even the federal transport minister in media interviews restricted his comments to simply asking the protesters to go home. It took the initiative of one Ottawa resident to obtain an injunction to deal with the noise created. The federal government, over a three-week period, went from doing nothing to invoking the Emergencies Act. It hasn’t been clearly explained what happened and why the act was invoked.

If the government was aware that the convoy posed a credible threat before it came to Ottawa — and we were told that yesterday — why did the government wait three weeks before addressing the security threat? Why were the protesters allowed to set up on Parliament Hill? The lack of political leadership displayed over the past few weeks is absolutely unbelievable.

One of the questions being asked is whether the government needed to invoke the Emergencies Act. Why didn’t the police and the federal government do their jobs three or four weeks ago when they knew the situation was developing? Several senators are asking this question, and I know Senator Arnot asked the question when he began his speech this morning.

Now that the blockades have been disassembled, why can’t the police, CSIS and other authorities take over, continue with the threat assessment, and the Emergencies Act be revoked? Today, we even received notice that controlled explosives are scheduled to resume today or tomorrow in the renovation of the Centre Block, so it sounds like the threat has been diminished.

Several senators have raised concerns over the freezing of bank accounts. It is still unclear, and many senators talked about this in the Senate yesterday. It was also raised at the briefing with ministers the day before. It is still unclear as to who is affected, what process is followed to determine the blacklist and what criteria have to be met in order to be excluded from the blacklist. It is also unclear as to how those individuals, organizations and companies whose accounts have been frozen can have their bank accounts unfrozen, especially since they no longer have access to monies for lawyers and other advice.

Despite this matter being raised by a number of senators, we have yet to receive sufficient explanatory information. The process of the freezing of bank accounts is an invisible, punitive process. Last evening, I saw in the media there was a report that some bank accounts are being unfrozen. Well, it was an ill‑thought‑out idea to begin with, but we are now seeking answers on this new development.

Some senators have raised questions and concerns about the parliamentary review committee. There is a concern that serious oversight cannot be carried out by the committee if it cannot receive all relevant information, including intelligence information.

Honourable senators, my expectations of this review committee, if it is ever established, is very low. It is not even established and we are already learning about the restrictions to be placed on the committee.

In closing, I would like to reference Senator Tannas’s Motion No. 30. We have been discussing the Emergencies Act, a complex piece of legislation with far-reaching implications. While a briefing was arranged for senators and Senator Gold did respond to many questions yesterday, senators are still being requested to approve or not without adequate study of the implications of a very complex Emergencies Act.

Honourable senators, I would like to conclude by saying that in light of all the concerns that have been raised, I’m not convinced that the government had a plan. Now that they have implemented the Emergencies Act, I’m still not convinced that they have a plan. I will be voting against the motion.