Letters, Oct. 20: Something fishy about who is presiding over Emergencies Act inquiry
Primer Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Justice Paul Rouleau to be the person who would tell Canadians if Trudeau overreached by invoking the Emergencies Act. Rouleau is a member of the Liberal party, supporter of the Liberal party, worked for the Liberal party and was appointed to the bench by a past Liberal prime minister, Paul Martin, but I am sure he will be completely non-partisan in his future decisions in regard to this inquiry? It appears that Trudeau believes he knows what the outcome will be as he has said he will cooperate fully and be completely transparent. Now this will be a complete turnaround for Trudeau, as in the past he has used his then majority government to shut down his SNC scandal, used cabinet confidentiality to shut down his Winnipeg lab scandal, when he allowed Chinese scientists to work in our most secure lab in Canada. Then we watched CSIS remove them as they were sending all of our information back to Trudeau’s friends in China. All Canadians get ready next year when he is going increase his useless carbon tax, increase all employees’ and employers’ rates on employment insurance and CPP, as Canadians struggle to put food on the table. Of course, he has to increase taxes on Canadians to make up for his absurd spending.
'An open mind': A look at Justice Paul Rouleau, the man leading the convoy protest inquiry
Ontario Court of Appeal Justice will be the public face of what could be a politically tense 6 weeks
When Paul Rouleau kicked off the inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act, he warned against allowing the proceedings to become "adversarial."
"I recognize that different points of view will be forcefully advanced. This is to be expected. It is important, however, that at all times disagreement be respectful," Rouleau said, adding that he would "actively control the proceedings."
As the head of the inquiry into the federal government's use of emergency powers in response to the anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate protest that gridlocked parts of downtown Ottawa this past winter, the Ontario Court of Appeal justice will be the public face of what could be a polarizing and politically tense six weeks.
WATCH | Ontario judge says inquiries 'are not trials':
The Public Order Emergency Commission began public hearings Thursday on the government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act. It is expected to hear from 65 witnesses during its factual stage, including protest participants, law enforcement representatives, federal cabinet ministers and officials with provincial and municipal governments.
The opening day saw battle lines taking shape as lawyers for key players — including the federal government, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Ottawa police and protest organizers — gave brief opening remarks.
The federal government's lawyers have promised to lay out the step-by-step process which led the government to declare a public emergency as a "last resort," while a lawyer for the convoy organizers has said the government never met the legal threshold to invoke the act.
With a tight timeline for the hearings — they're scheduled to wrap on Nov. 25 — here's what we know about the man tasked with heading up the commission.
Education and legal practice
Rouleau is originally from Eastview, Ont., now known as the Vanier neighbourhood of Ottawa, according to his biography from the Universite de l'Ontario Francais.
He received a bachelor of administration in 1974 and later a bachelor of law in 1977, both from the University of Ottawa.
Rouleau was called to the bar in 1979 and would later obtain a masters degree in law from York University in 1984, according to his biography on the Ontario Court of Appeal website.
In 2002, Rouleau was appointed an Ontario Superior Court judge during Jean Chrétien's Liberal government, and then a judge on the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2005.
In 2014, he was appointed to the Yukon Supreme Court and later the Nunavut Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, both in 2017.
During his opening remarks on Thursday, Justice Paul Rouleau said his experience as a judge would inform how he conducts the inquiry. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
During his opening remarks on Thursday, Rouleau said his experience as a judge would inform how he conducts the inquiry.
"During these hearings I will be hearing the bulk of this evidence for the first time, just like members of the public," he said. "To that end, I've made no findings and reached no conclusions.
"Like a judge, my findings and conclusion will be based on the evidence that is presented to me. I will keep an open mind throughout and will only reach a final conclusion once the evidence is all in."
Raj Anand is chair of the Law Commission of Ontario's board of governors on which Rouleau serves. He said Rouleau is practical, thoughtful and very interested in advancing the law.
With 17 years as a judge of the Court of Appeal behind him already, Anand said, Rouleau has seen many important legal issues that he brings to his role on the board.
"He has lots of experience and lots of ideas, and he doesn't hesitate to express those ideas," Anand told the Canadian Press this past spring.
Advocate for French legal services, education
Rouleau has been an active advocate for access to French language education and legal services in Ontario.
In 1981, he helped found the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario, a group of Francophone legal professionals that promotes access to French legal services.
Ronald Caza, who worked with Rouleau when he was president of the association, said Rouleau's approach to litigation was always practical rather than technical.
"I think he was quite successful, because when you bring a common-sense approach and a practical approach to legal issues, it's very compelling for a court. It's very compelling for a judge, that argument, because it sort of drives to the essence of what the litigation is about," Caza told the Canadian Press in April.
Rouleau was appointed to the Ontario attorney general's advisory committee on access to justice in French in 2018.
Then-lawyer Paul Rouleau speaks to Ce Soir En Ontario in 1984 about the Marchand case, in which he successfully argued for the rights of children to have access to French public education. (Ce Soir En Ontario)
Rouleau is also very highly respected in the francophone community for championing precedent-setting cases on linguistic rights, said Caza.
He successfully argued for the right of children to have access to French public education in the 1986 Marchand case, and also served as a school board trustee in Toronto in the 1980s, according to the public order commission.
Last year, Rouleau was appointed the first chancellor of the Universite de l'Ontario Francais.
Rouleau also worked for Liberal leader John Turner in 1984, according to reports from Maclean's from the era.
Role of the commission
Rouleau kicked off Thursday's hearing by explaining the commission's mandate and the challenges it faces.
"A commission's recommendations may be modest or wide-ranging. They may be directed at a range of audiences, including government, public bodies and the private sector," said the commissioner.
"It's also important to understand what commissions of inquiry do not do. They do not make findings of legal liability. They do not determine whether individuals have committed crimes. While inquiries seek to uncover the truth, they are not trials. Questions of civil and criminal liability are decided by courts and not commissions."
At Rouleau's request, the Liberal government has waived cabinet confidence on documents related to its invocation of the act, though it's not clear if those documents will be made public. It's only the fourth time in Canada's history that a public inquiry has been given access to such high-level documents.
After hearing from Ottawa residents, business representatives and two city councillors on Friday, the commission is expected to hear from a number of city officials and police representatives this week.
Ottawa City Manager Steve Kanellakos, outgoing Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Diane Deans — who was head of the Ottawa Police Services Board for a majority of the protests — will appear before the committee this week. Like Watson, Deans is not seeking re-election this month.
Also expected to testify this week are acting Deputy Chief of Ottawa Police Patricia Ferguson, retired chief superintendent of the Ontario Provincial Police Carson Pardy and OPP members Pat Morris and Craig Abrams.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the Canadian Press
LILLEY: Don't use inquiry to sweep Emergencies Act failings under rug
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, Tuesday, March 22, 2022.Photo by Patrick Doyle /REUTERSThe inquiry into the Trudeau government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act has been called. Will it get to the bottom of the matter?
“I am pleased to announce that the Honourable Paul S. Rouleau has agreed to serve as the commissioner and undertake this important work,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement announcing the inquiry Monday.
It fits with Trudeau’s style that he waited until the last possible day to call the inquiry, and then appointed a former top Liberal political staffer to head up this inquiry. He’s clearly hoping that this will be nothing more than an exercise in covering up what went wrong from the government’s side.
Paul Rouleau, appointed to the bench in 2002 by the Paul Martin Liberal government, isn’t simply someone who made a small donation or two or went to a cocktail fundraiser with a client while working as a lawyer. He actually worked for the Liberal Party in the past.
In 1983, he was part of John Turner’s leadership campaign to take over when Pierre Trudeau announced his retirement. Rouleau then had a hand in helping pick Turner’s cabinet once he won leadership and is described in various media reports as either his executive assistant or appointments secretary in media reports from that era.
Rouleau could be completely impartial if he does his job right, or he could do what the government wants which is to look at everything but government actions. Which isn’t what the part of the Emergencies Act mandating an inquiry calls for.
The act states that 60 days after the invocation of the Emergencies Act expires or is revoked, an inquiry must be held, “into the circumstances that led to the declaration being issued and the measures taken for dealing with the emergency.”
That clearly calls for looking into the government’s handling of the issue, but the Order In Council setting out the parameters of the inquiry clearly shows they want Rouleau looking elsewhere.
The order specifically calls for him to investigate:
(A) the evolution and goals of the convoy and blockades, their leadership, organization and participants,
(B) the impact of domestic and foreign funding, including crowdsourcing platforms,
(C) the impact, role, and sources of misinformation and disinformation, including the use of social media,
(D) the impact of the blockades, including their economic impact, and
(E) the efforts of police and other responders prior to and after the declaration
You will note there is nothing calling for the examination of the actions of politicians at the federal, provincial, or municipal level in the handling of the convoy and blockades. The hope in PMO is that politicians will get a pass from Rouleau; the public has to hope that won’t be the case.
Through their actions in court and their weak defence of invoking the Act in Parliament, the government has shown that they do not want the facts laid out for the public to see. Rouleau must ensure the public does see the facts.
He must resist the temptation to look the other way for his old political friends, and he must push back when the government attempts to invoke cabinet confidence or claim national security for keeping information secret. Suspending civil liberties by using the Emergencies Act is a serious matter that deserves a serious examination.
Anything less would be a travesty for this already sad chapter in our history.
Paul Rouleau
Paul Rouleau is a justice of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Canada. He led the Public Order Emergency Commission that started in 2022.
Education
Rouleau is a graduate of University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He previously served on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.[1]
Career
He was appointed as a Deputy Judge of the Supreme Court of Yukon in 2014, Nunavut Court of Justice in 2017 and Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2017.[1]
In the past, Paul Rouleau worked for the Liberal Party of Canada. In 1983, he was part of John Turner’s leadership campaign after Pierre Trudeau announced retirement.[2][3][4] Rouleau then helped pick Turner’s cabinet once he won leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. He is described as either Turner's executive assistant or appointments secretary in various media reports from that era.[5][6]
On April 25, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Rouleau as commissioner of the Public Order Emergency Commission inquiry into the invocation of the Emergencies Act, which had occurred in response to the 2022 Canada convoy protest.[7] By law, Rouleau must complete his report and submit it to the House of Commons and Senate in both official languages by February 20, 2023.[8][9]
References
- Aiello, Rachel (25 April 2022). "National inquiry called into Trudeau's use of Emergencies Act to end 'Freedom Convoy'". ctvnews.ca. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022.
Biography
Overview (3)
| Born | in Montreal, Québec, Canada |
| Died | in Longueuil, Québec, Canada |
| Birth Name | Suzette Trudeau |
Mini Bio (1)
Suzette Rouleau, born Suzette Trudeau, was the older sister of former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
In a rare interview with Canadian documentary film maker Brian McKenna, Suzette described engaging in a schoolyard fist fight with Michel Chartrand, to defend her little brother Pierre.
After attending the 1968 convention where her brother was first chosen to lead the Liberal Party of Canada, she told him he was popular in the same way as the musical group The Beatles. Although she wasn't a visible presence in his political life, the siblings were said to remain close.
https://arcticodyssey.ca/funeral/
Pierre Trudeau State Funeral by Tim Kotcheff
October 3, 2000
Pierre Trudeau Funeral
The day began at City Hall. The casket bearing Pierre Trudeau was removed and driven to Notre Dame Basilica. It was accompanied by ten RCMP officers marching alongside.
The streets around Notre Dame were lined with mourners. As the hearse passed, many applauded. Others wept. Trudeau was making his final journey through his native Montreal.
“An occasion of national mourning, a historic moment,” is how Governor General Adrienne Clarkson described the arrival of Trudeau’s casket at the Basilica. It was 11:00 a.m.
L-R: Margaret Trudeau, Alexandre Trudeau, PT’s sister, Suzette Rouleau, Justin Trudeau. Slightly behind: Pierre Trudeau’s daughter Sarah and her mother Deborah Coyne.
The canoe group had already arrived at the Basilica for the state funeral – one of the largest in Canadian history.
Just under 3,000 people were inside Notre Dame for the service. Giant screens were placed outside for those in the front square. But the Arctic and Rideau Canal Canoe Club members were honoured as special guests and seats were reserved for us inside.
We were paying tribute to the dominant figure of 20th century Canada. He was also our cherished canoe companion. So on this occasion, we were saying goodbye not only to a former Prime Minister but to the man who joined us on three canoe trips in northern Canada – trips that we would never forget.
The Service
Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, Marc Lalonde
Among the dignitaries attending the service: Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter, the Aga Khan, Prince Andrew, Marc Lalonde, Brian Mulroney, Lucien Bouchard, Leonard Cohen, Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, President of Greece and Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
The funeral, a traditional Catholic mass, was conducted mostly in French. Prime Minister Chretien delivered the First Reading. Trudeau’s son, Sacha, delivered a special reading from the Prophecy of Daniel.
But it was the eulogy offered by Trudeau’s eldest son Justin that moved and touched those inside the church and those listening outside.
Justin Trudeau
Justin spoke of Trudeau as a father who “loved us with the passion and the devotion that encompassed his life”. He then thanked Canadians for their outpouring of emotion.
“I love you, Dad,” he said before bending to kiss the flag-draped casket of his father.
The funeral concluded with a loud pealing of the cathedral bells, applause and singing of O Canada.
The Reception
At the reception that followed the service, I was talking to Michael Pitfield and mentioned that I was member of the canoe group and he said – ‘well that explains why you are here then. The canoe group was very important to Pierre.’
One of our group, Ted Johnson, who had been involved with the funeral arrangements, had this recollection:
‘A small chapel off to one side of the Basilica was used as a holding room to bring together the pall bearers. I noticed Jimmy Carter standing there alone, with no one to talk to. Since Peter Stollery knew him from The Interaction Council, I brought him over to talk to President Carter. While we engaged in pleasantries with the former President, I noticed Carter was no longer paying attention to our scintillating conversation and seemed to be looking over my shoulder. I turned around to see Fidel Castro approaching.
Carter broke off our chat, shook hands with Castro and switched into Spanish. Carter then switched back to English and said “Now there’s one thing I won’t talk about with you today, Mr. President (brief pause) …baseball!”. Castro laughed.
The Cuban baseball team had administered a stunning defeat to the Americans at the Olympic Games a few days before this encounter.
I believe this was the first face to face meeting between Castro and a sitting or former US President in ages, if not since the Cuban revolution. And the Canoe Group was there!’
As we were leaving the Basilica a television reporter asked myself and David Silcox what it was like canoeing with Trudeau. I replied that there was a sense of intensity when you paddled with him. David added jocularly…he was a perfectionist….he did the dishes better than anyone else. We could also have mentioned that he was an incredibly talented canoeist.
And so ended a most remarkable day.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: gswan
Suzette Rouleau (Trudeau) | |
| Birthdate: | |
| Death: | February 09, 2008 (89-90) Longueuil, Champlain, Québec, Canada |
| Immediate Family: | Daughter of Joseph Charles-Émile Trudeau and Grace Trudeau (Elliott) |
|---|---|
| Managed by: | Private User |
| Last Updated: | |
