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A report by the Privy Council Office says that 87% of the federal records on the Freedom Convoy were never disclosed by a 2023 inquiry, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
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And Canadians will wait decades to see the confidential memos and emails.
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In a report to MPs and senators, the Privy Council Office said it gave 31,844 documents to the inquiry investigating cabinet’s use of the Emergencies Act against the Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa.
However, 27,815 of those (about 87%) were kept confidential by the Public Order Emergency Commission.
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Concealed records included 16,632 classified as “secret” and 372 as “top secret.”
Only commission counsel and the judge leading the inquiry, Justice Paul Rouleau, had complete access to all 31,844 document, said the report.
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“Given that the commission was an independent commission of inquiry, the Privy Council Office cannot comment on how specific documents were used by the commission,” wrote staff.
“These questions would need to be posed to former commissioner Justice Rouleau.”
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All 31,844 documents were deposited in the National Archives.
“Library and Archives Canada is responsible for enabling public access to the historical records of commissions of inquiry,” said the report. “Once the archives has processed the collection, members of the public can submit requests to order archival material.”
Library and Archives Canada is known to wait for decades to release even routine documents.
Those documents that were made public persuaded the Federal Court last January to rule cabinet acted unlawfully in using emergency powers against the protesters.
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