The public inquiry into the federal Liberal government’s use of the Emergency Act took a longer than usual lunch break on Wednesday after a medical incident in the hearing room.
A lawyer representing the Public Order Emergencies Commission collapsed while questioning Mario Di Tommaso, Ontario’s deputy attorney general, the second witness of the day.
After the adjournment, the public hearing was scheduled to resume at 3:00 PM ET and move on to testimony from Ian Freeman, an official with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
Emergency services were called to the Library and Archives Canada building in downtown Ottawa and proceedings were halted, with lawyers and spectators cleared from the hearing room.
Gabriel Poliquin was in the initial stages of examining Di Tommaso when he collapsed on the floor and his condition is unclear. A commission spokesman said in an emailed statement that out of respect for Poliquin and his family, he would not share further details about his health.
Poliquin is one of a team of lawyers working for the commission tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergency Act for the first time in Canadian history on Feb. 14.
The public hearings, which began Oct. 13 and are scheduled to run through Nov. 25, focused this week on testimony about border roadblocks in Windsor, Ont., and Coates, Alta.
Earlier Wednesday, the mayor of Coutts said the RCMP appeared to have been caught off guard by a protest blockade at the U.S.-Canada border crossing last winter, even though he warned the provincial government it could happen.
Jim Willett emailed Jason Kenney, then Alberta’s premier, and the province’s attorney general on Jan. 27 to warn of the potential for a blockade, and was assured the RCMP had been alerted.
He said he was worried about maintaining vital highway access in the small border town of 245 people and also warned the protest could lead to an international incident.
On January 29, a large convoy of trucks gathered at the border, with some driving on the median and ditches and blocking the road.
The mayor said the RCMP did not establish a large police presence until three days later.
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