Ford's urgency, an 'economic emergency': What the convoy commission heard about Ambassador Bridge blockade

After weeks of testimony largely focused on the "Freedom Convoy" protests in Ottawa, the Public Order Emergency Commission examining the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act turned its attention to the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge to kick off this week.

The key border crossing connecting Windsor, Ont. to Detroit, Mich. was closed for a week, after protesters blockaded the bridge in mid-February, in solidarity with the truckers in the nation's capital.

As part of compiling a fulsome understanding about what all transpired at the busiest crossing in North America in the lead up to, through, and after police cleared the blockade ahead of the invocation of the Emergencies Act, the commission heard testimony from key witnesses on Monday and Tuesday.

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First up was Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, who testified about efforts to limit the impact of the blockade on locals who lived in the area, offers for towing assistance that came from across the U.S. border, and his concerns about the protesters plotting to "regroup" and come back after the key economic artery had reopened.

Then the Windsor Police Service's Jason Crowley took the stand. At the time of the blockade Crowley was superintendent of investigation services, but has since become interim deputy chief. Crowley spoke about how the city's police force tried to learn lessons from what was happening in Ottawa, and spoke about how they cleared the blockade with backup, and without federal emergency powers.

On Tuesday, the commission heard from Ontario Provincial Police West Regional Supt. Dana Earley about trepidations police had that moving in to clear protesters in Windsor could worsen the situation in Ottawa, and how there was a sense that the Windsor blockade was a "priority" to resolve given the economic impacts and public safety risk.

Lastly, the commission heard from a participant in the Ambassador Bridge blockade, a father and business owner named Paul Leschied, who testified that he became involved in protests against COVID-19 public health restrictions prior to the "Freedom Convoy" and spoke about how participants in the blockade indicated they weren’t going to leave until they achieved something from their demonstration.

From documented CSIS concerns that invoking the Emergencies Act could drive protesters towards violence, to the pressure Ontario Premier Doug Ford was feeling from major companies to see the blockade end—to the point he mused about getting all up in the OPP's business—here are key moments from the Ambassador Bridge-focused hearings.

'UP THEIR A** WITH A WIRE BRUSH'

One of the most significant insights gleaned from Tuesday's testimony came in the form of a readout of a call held on Feb. 9 between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ford, just a few days before police moved in to clear the border blockade. 

According to a transcript of the leaders' call prepared by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the pair discussed generally the convoy protests, the need to stop them from spreading further, and how Ford felt that what was going on in Windsor was "a bigger" concern than Ottawa, as it was costing billions of dollars in trade losses.

Ford suggested that more tools were needed, to which Trudeau said the province "shouldn’t need more tools," legally-speaking, but agreed that the response needed to be swift because of the economic impact and to also prevent the province from becoming "a laughing stock."

"I'm just as frustrated as you and if I could direct the police, I would," Ford is documented as stating. Trudeau then asks if he's saying the OPP can't help.

"I can't direct them. I can't call them and say get your a**es in there," Ford said. After some further back and forth on requests for assistance, Trudeau asks, "What are the next steps?" and then adds in reference to the OPP that they "can't talk this out for three weeks. They need to act immediately."

"They'll act, but without directing them, it's hard to describe their game plan. They'll have a plan unlike Ottawa… This is critical, I hear you. I'll be up their a** with a wire brush," Ford then said.

This entire exchange came up during Supt. Earley's testimony, during which she was asked if she experienced any political pressure or interference while carrying out her duties, leading the OPP's response to the Ambassador Bridge blockade.

"No, I did not," she said.

Ontario Provincial Police Superintendent Dana Earley gives testimony at the Public Order Emergency Commission, Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

'WILLING TO DIE' AND CSIS VIOLENCE CONCERNS

During his testimony, Dilkens was asked about a comment he made on Feb. 9: that in his view, some of the protesters were "willing to die" for their cause. Asked how he reached that assessment, here's what he said.

"Well, there was a TV report, it was also reported on the front page of the Windsor Star, where—and this was very early on in the protests—that one of the protesters had said outright, that this is a cause that they were willing to die for… There was a very high temperature on the ground amongst the protesters. They were very aggressive in their language and in their posture. And, it was that type of comment, 'willing to die for the cause,' that caused police to take a more measured approach into the way that they dealt with the situation. No one needed to die on the streets of Windsor or elsewhere, protesting vaccine mandates or whatever the protest ultimately was about."

Dilkens also referenced an instance of a commissionaire trying to enforce parking rules being swarmed and having to be escorted to their vehicle by police, as well as a direct personal house-bombing threat he and his family received during the period of time the blockade was in place.

"It was the nature and sort of the spirit of the protest. It was unlike anything I've ever seen, and I've lived my whole life in the city of Windsor. It's unlike anything I've ever seen during that time. And the posture and the language was, you know, it was it was almost as if folks wanted some sort of brawl on the streets. You know, they were hoping police would engage in that way," he testified.

Separate, but related: During Dilkens' cross-examination, a lawyer representing the core convoy organizers brought up advice prepared for the federal cabinet by CSIS, which noted the agency advised that the implementation of the Emergencies Act would "likely galvanize the anti-government narratives within the convoy and further radicalize some towards violence." 

WHY WINDSOR WAS A 'NATIONAL ECONOMIC EMERGENCY'

Despite the situation in Windsor being resolved in advance of the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act, Dilkens made it clear in his testimony that he supported Trudeau's use of the extraordinary powers.

This was based in two main concerns. The first was messaging from some protesters that indicated they may try to regroup and return, requiring the city to draw on even more resources from across the country. This was bolstered by testimony from Earley, who said there "was the fear that they would think that numbers were being deployed to Ottawa and then try to take advantage of that, and take back the bridge."

The second major concern was based in Dilkens' belief that the border blockade had already become a "national economic emergency."

"There is a direct correlation to a national economic emergency and I would submit, to a national security issue, and this is exactly what this was," Dilkens told the commission.

Not only was Dilkens facing business and cross-border pressures—from Michigan offering to help set the city up with tow trucks, to auto stakeholders alarmed about the supply chain impacts—documents submitted showed that Ford was feeling the squeeze, too.

"We need to get that bridge open ASAP," the premier texted Dilkens on Feb. 13, text logs show. "I have every major company all over me."

Asked about this exchange, Dilkens said he understood Ford's concerns, saying that the Ambassador Bridge has "provincial and national significance."

LESSONS FROM OTTAWA'S STRUGGLES

On Monday, Dilkens was asked about meeting minutes from a Feb. 8 Windsor Police Services Board meeting that were entered into evidence. In those minutes, it was indicated that then-Windsor police chief Pamela Mizuno stated that lessons had been learned from Ottawa. Dilkens was asked to outline what those lessons were, and there was one main lesson he recalled.

"In my conversations with the chief, the largest lesson learned was not to let this grow," he said. "Don't let bouncy castles and hot tubs and sort of those types of amenities come to the streets, Huron Church Road, and allow this to grow. So make sure that we're dealing with this, you know, as quickly and swiftly and professionally, in a way that as she said provides for public safety and deescalates."

Asked if there were efforts to contain it so that it could not grow, Dilkens said they were able to prevent the situation from growing through the use of setting up barriers.

From the police perspective, Crowley testified that the example of Ottawa factored into Windsor's expectations of hesitance from tow truck companies to get involved, efforts they made to keep protesters off of private property, and in how they dealt with the leaders of the blockade.

There was also some mention of the Ottawa situation in the aforementioned Trudeau-Ford call, with Ford stating that then-Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly and outgoing Ottawa mayor Jim Watson "totally mismanaged" the situation and by the time of that call, on Feb. 9 Ford was of the view that Sloly had "lost command." Sloly resigned less than a week later.

PROTESTER DESCRIBES A 'LEADERLESS MOVEMENT'

On Tuesday the commission also heard directly from a protester who took part in the Windsor blockade between Feb. 7 and 11, who said he was there to see for himself what was transpiring, citing a lack of trust in the reporting on the protests by mainstream media outlets.

Protester Paul Leschied scratches his head as he listens to a question from counsel during testimony at the Public Order Emergency Commission, Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Leschied testified that he felt it was a "leaderless movement," with no one central organizer or person in charge, but that there was a shared sentiment among protesters that they wanted to hold their ground, despite police telling them to leave near the end of the week-long blockade.

"I think most of the protesters still were of the opinion that they were not going to leave until some level of achievement had been made for the purposes of their demonstration," Leschied said.

Asked then what would be considered an achievement, he suggested having a conversation with someone in authority, but said he could only speak from what he heard from truck drivers who were there, upset about the vaccine mandate, and that there was no formal list of demands.

Leschied also made a passing reference to him having difficulty accessing his bank account between Feb. 18 to Feb. 21, though he testified that he remains unclear whether this was because it had been frozen under the provisions of the Emergencies Act, or simply a glitch.