Attorney General, Public Safety Minister Cite Privilege in Not Disclosing Why Emergencies Act Invoked

Attorney General, Public Safety Minister Cite Privilege in Not Disclosing Why Emergencies Act Invoked
Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations on Feb. 19, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Cole Burston
Matthew Horwood
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Attorney General Arif Virani and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc repeatedly refused to disclose to a joint committee reviewing the Emergencies Act invocation what legal decision justified the government’s response to the Freedom Convoy.

Addressing the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, both men cited solicitor-client privilege when asked for the legal opinion the government relied on to invoke the act.