In March 2023 the first of The Public Order Emergency Commission’s final report assessing the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act concluded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met the threshold for enacting unprecedented powers to end the “Freedom Convoy” protests and blockades.The Public Order Emergency Commission’s final report assessing the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act concluded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met the threshold for enacting unprecedented powers to end the “Freedom Convoy” protests and blockades.
Testimony heard, social media played a key role in organizing the “Freedom Convoy” and connecting supporters across the country But, Justice Rouleau’s report also offers in-depth analysis into how this movement was shaped in some ways by social media misinformation.”Social media also allows hate speech, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and lies to spread farther, faster, and cheaper than ever before… False beliefs that COVID-19 vaccines manipulate DNA, social media feeds rife with homophobic or racist content, and inaccurate reporting of important events all featured in the evidence before me,” wrote Rouleau.
“The level of financial support provided to the Ottawa protest from people across Canada and around the world was significant. Protest organizers were clear that they were stunned by how successful they were in generating funds… However, as I have found, relatively little of this donated money ever reached the protesters. Most funds were blocked through steps taken by private entities and through court orders,” wrote Rouleau. In the Justices analysis of the federal government’s decision-making, Rouleau notes that while “drastic,” the move to invoke the Emergencies Act is “not a dictatorial one.” With all things considered, cabinet had credible and compelling information to support the belief that the definition of a threat to the security of Canada was met, he added “The fact that protesters could be at once both the victims and perpetrators of misinformation simply shows how pernicious misinformation is in modern society.”
With notes from https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/9-things-you-might-have-missed-in-the-emergencies-act-inquiry-report-1.6282894
