Marco Mendicino has face a barrage of criticism from all over about his false claims to invoke the Emergencies Act.
Pierre Poilievre, Conservative leadership candidate is calling for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s resignation because of constantly repeating debunked claims that the police asked the government to invoke the Emergencies Act.
Poilievre says Mendicino is guilty of “creating a fake excuse” to justify the act.
“It’s crystal clear that the Minister made false statements in the House of Commons,” said Poilievre. “And it wasn’t just about something trivial. He wanted to give Trudeau cover to invoke the Emergencies Act, freeze people’s bank accounts, and trample on civil liberties.”
On Tuesday evening, Deputy Minister Rob Stewart testified before a special joint committee investigating Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, saying Mendicino’s repeated claims that police asked for the powers were “misunderstood.”
Poilievre called on the Minister to resign. “The Minister made false statements. If he messed up, then he’s incompetent. If he lied, then he’s dishonest. Either way, he can’t keep this important job”.
Mendicino made repeated statements saying the police requested the government government to use its emergency powers to deal with the Freedom Convoy.
“It was on the advice of law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act. It was necessary and it worked,” said Mendicino in April in the House of Commons.
Stewart, his deputy minister, attempted to justify the false claims by claiming that people misinterpreted them.
“I believe that the intention that he was trying to express was that law enforcement asked for the tools that were contained in the Emergencies Act,” Stewart said. “My understanding is that there is a misunderstanding of the minister’s words.”
former Ottawa Chief of Police and the RCMP commissioner, interim Ottawa police chief, have all stated that they did not request the Emergencies Act and that no one in their departments had done so.
The usage of the Emergencies Act is the subject of a public inquiry. The Public Order Emergency Commission announced last week that it had asked the government to release all information that led to the decision, including all material protected by cabinet confidence and other rules of secrecy. Hearings are scheduled to begin in September.
