Organizers of the "Freedom Convoy" are expected to testify in the public inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act starting today. Witnesses will also highlight the idea of demonstrations that lasted for weeks and led to the congestion of Ottawa streets last winter. Several protest organizers, including Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and Pat King, are also facing criminal charges related to their involvement. The transcripts provide insight into the federal communications strategy before the arrival of the "Freedom Convoy," with Barber expected to be the first to testify. Additionally, the inquiry is investigating the events that led to the federal government’s declaration of emergency on February 14, after weeks of protests that shut down downtown Ottawa and extended to border crossings elsewhere. So far, the inquiry has painted a picture of confusion and chaos among police forces and government levels as officials tried to figure out how to respond. According to all accounts so far, the idea of the convoy to Ottawa was inspired by a TikTok video by truck drivers, with Brigitte Belton, who is expected to testify after Barber, among the first to envision the idea. Furthermore, protesters began arriving in Ottawa on January 28 to express their anger and opposition to the federal government and COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates. The protest quickly evolved into what police and government officials described as a comprehensive occupation, with protesters blocking traffic, honking truck horns, and setting up camps in city streets. The area outside the Parliament building was then cleared just weeks later after Ottawa invoked the federal Emergencies Act on February 14.

In the same context, the Public Order Emergency Commission hearings began in mid-October and are expected to continue until late November. Lich attended most of the hearings, sitting in a public viewing area with friends and a small group of supporters. Barber also arrived in Ottawa last week and briefly attended one of the sessions. Late Monday, the commission indicated it intends to summon Jeremy MacKenzie, founder of the online group "Diagalon," to testify on Friday via videoconference, as MacKenzie was present at the Ottawa protests. MacKenzie's lawyer, for his part, submitted a request to the commission asking for his testimony to be given in the absence of the public and parties or under a publication ban, stating that his presence in Ottawa last winter was "lawful and peaceful." He is currently in a Saskatchewan prison and was denied release earlier this month after being arrested in Nova Scotia pursuant to a nationwide warrant. He is also charged with assault, pointing a firearm, causing bodily harm, and careless use of a prohibited weapon after police received a report of an alleged assault near Viscount in November 2021. MacKenzie was charged in Nova Scotia with 13 firearms offenses in January, as well as harassment and intimidation in March following an anti-mask protest outside the home of the senior medical officer of health in Nova Scotia.