Don Martin: Trudeau faces the greatest risk of Freedom Convoy fallout
He may not have seen the potential threat when truckers rolled toward Ottawa last January, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cannot miss the risk of Freedom Convoy fallout he now faces.
Under the no-nonsense watch of Justice Paul Rouleau with a lineup of inquisitive lawyers representing all sides of the protest, the Public Order Emergency Commission may well deliver a daily dose of bad news for the government as Trudeau and his seven cabinet ministers parade across the stand.
Unlike Question Period, where the justification for invoking the Emergency Act is usually swept aside in a barrage of rehearsed banalities from ministers pretending they didn't hear the questions, this will not be a back-and-forth formula under strict Speaker time limits.
There will be an avalanche of rarely released cabinet documents to explore and inconsistencies between minister testimony to cross-examine culminating in the appearance of a prime minister who struggles at delivering clear unscripted responses to detailed questions.
It's early in the finger-pointing, of course, but the political risk to Trudeau of Emergencies Act backlash would seem greater than even to convoy-coddling Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Already at day two of witness testimony, the prime minister came across as strangely hesitant in the readout of a conversation with Ottawa鈥檚 mayor, repeatedly shrugging aside Jim Watson's plea for the Mounties to ride to the rescue by insisting the Ontario police should be there first. This coming just two weeks before Trudeau invoked the most extreme and unfettered police powers any government can unleash.
Things will probably get worse as a prime minister who initially denigrated the convoy as a fringe movement faces intense scrutiny on his government鈥檚 sudden use of a political howitzer to take out a hornets' nest.
In a brief, slightly-desperate-sounding scrum Wednesday, the prime minister defending his actions by declaring his solidarity on the Emergencies Act with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, perhaps not the best partner given Trudeau was quoted as saying Ford was "hiding from his responsibilities" as the occupation worsened.
In the end, the decision to take such an uncharted path may go down as classic Trudeau. He leads a government that values the public perception of being taken seriously far more than taking serious action.
I'm not sure if the release of cabinet documents will include transcripts of the secret decision-making process, but my bet is that at some point a frustrated Trudeau, mindful of his father's defining tough-guy image in invoking the War Measures Act, took off his shoe, banged it on the cabinet table and demanded his ministers DO SOMETHING NOW.
Enter the Emergencies Act, a step never contemplated by a prime minister before because the bar for its legitimate use is set extremely high 鈥 basically a national emergency security threat that no regular laws could handle 鈥 and because enacting it triggers what could be an embarrassingly detailed examination of the decision.
It will be fascinating to see if the prime minister testifies he was aware the occupation and border barricades were easing by the time his government invoked the Act and what other options were explored before introducing such a radical measure.
And he'd better do better in his testimony than parrot his Public Safety minister, who nose-stretched his justification by saying police forces asked for the Act, when they did no such thing.
There could be serious security revelations to come that underline the Emergency Act's necessity or indications the protesters were indeed flirting with sedition instead of merely venting vaccine-mandate frustration.
But with CSIS reporting no sign of espionage, foreign actors on the stage or financing from outside Canada coupled with little evidence of physical violence or harassment beyond a lot of blaring horns, it will take a vivid imagination for the commission to find Trudeau's unprecedented and heavy-handed reaction was justified against a rapidly easing emergency.
That鈥檚 the bottom line鈥
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
'Ticking time bomb': Those who raised suspicions about Trump suspect question if enough was done
The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here鈥檚 what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas 鈥 and lately, that鈥檚 in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
Trump appeals to women in return to North Carolina without Mark Robinson, a top in-state supporter
Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Cards Against Humanity sues Elon Musk's SpaceX over alleged trespassing in Texas
The maker of the popular party game Cards Against Humanity is accusing Elon Musk's SpaceX of trespassing on and damaging a plot of vacant land the company owns in Texas.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.
A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.