Before we forget about the weeks of testimony at the Public Order Emergency Commission, we ought to take a moment to reflect on how we ended up with one in the first place.
Not against invocation of the act, but it was so frustrating that the authorities had means at their disposal that they didn’t use for weeks. It was a 21 year-old civil servant (quoted in your piece) who triggered the injunction to finally stop the honking!
Nice post, David. I agree with everything you wrote! I think the feds were right to force the square EA peg through the round Convoy hole, and that the situation should have been resolved long before that decision was required. It seems to me that the Inquiry did a thorough investigation, and I anticipate that it will result in recommendations to improve the act. I also think that a similar inquiry or review process is required to enable police to be better prepared to manage future protests, without them getting to that extreme measure. On the political front, I think Doug Ford got off extremely easily on this file, as he was able to let the federal liberals take all the heat without upsetting his base in the slightest. While he can’t direct the police, there were many other levers he should have pulled to assist them and maintain public order.
Full disclosure: I’m brand new to Substack, and I’ve never commented or posted anything (in any media) before now. I’m a classic lurker. The silent majority, for sure. My political compass has me pegged directly in the middle. Not Liberal or Conservative. I am very grateful to you and others for the work you do, and the stress and frustration you experience on social media as a result. Thanks!
I think you make a strong theoretical case for the EA when you refer to ideas of 'preparedness' and the 'right of society to defend itself'. This was a temporary, constrained articulation of the state's monopoly on the legitimate use of force, and it is justified since it is a foundational imperative for the state's own existence. Or some such thing.
Not against invocation of the act, but it was so frustrating that the authorities had means at their disposal that they didn’t use for weeks. It was a 21 year-old civil servant (quoted in your piece) who triggered the injunction to finally stop the honking!
Nice post, David. I agree with everything you wrote! I think the feds were right to force the square EA peg through the round Convoy hole, and that the situation should have been resolved long before that decision was required. It seems to me that the Inquiry did a thorough investigation, and I anticipate that it will result in recommendations to improve the act. I also think that a similar inquiry or review process is required to enable police to be better prepared to manage future protests, without them getting to that extreme measure. On the political front, I think Doug Ford got off extremely easily on this file, as he was able to let the federal liberals take all the heat without upsetting his base in the slightest. While he can’t direct the police, there were many other levers he should have pulled to assist them and maintain public order.
Full disclosure: I’m brand new to Substack, and I’ve never commented or posted anything (in any media) before now. I’m a classic lurker. The silent majority, for sure. My political compass has me pegged directly in the middle. Not Liberal or Conservative. I am very grateful to you and others for the work you do, and the stress and frustration you experience on social media as a result. Thanks!
I think you make a strong theoretical case for the EA when you refer to ideas of 'preparedness' and the 'right of society to defend itself'. This was a temporary, constrained articulation of the state's monopoly on the legitimate use of force, and it is justified since it is a foundational imperative for the state's own existence. Or some such thing.
I’m a Senators Hockey 🏒 fan. I hope Prime Minister Trudeau does everything in his power to keep those rednecks in line! Amen 🙏 and cheers 🍻.