It is time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to testify before the inquiry committee that is examining his government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act last February soon.

Trudeau and many of his ministers are also expected to appear before the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) next week to answer questions related to the Liberals' choice on February 14 to use emergency powers to end the so-called "Freedom Convoy," after weeks - a long siege of Ottawa and several Canada-US border crossings earlier this year.

This was the first time in Canadian history that the Emergencies Act was used, and Trudeau revoked it on February 23. As part of the legislation, an inquiry must be conducted into its use, and the POEC was formed on April 25, with former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Paul Rouleau appointed as chair.

Also, the committee has been holding hearings since October 13, hearing testimonies from protest leaders, police officers, and regional and federal officials. The hearings will continue until the end of this month, and the inquiry must submit its final report — including its findings and recommendations — by February 6, 2023.

Aside from Trudeau, officials expected to appear next week include Minister of Defence Anita Anand, Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, Minister of Justice David Lametti, Minister of International Affairs Dominic LeBlanc, and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

David Vigneault, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Michel Tessier, Deputy Director of Operations with CSIS, Marie-Hélène Chayer, Executive Director of the CSIS Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, Katie Telford, Trudeau’s Chief of Staff, Brian Clou, and also expected to appear are Trudeau’s Deputy Chiefs of Staff and John Boudreau, Trudeau’s Policy Director, and they will be questioned next week.

Before the government invoked the Emergencies Act in February, people protesting COVID-19 public health measures had been entrenched for weeks in downtown Ottawa, as well as at border crossings in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia.