‘No idea too crazy’: Cabinet given suite of options before invoking Emergencies Act

‘No idea too crazy’: Cabinet given suite of options before invoking Emergencies ActOTTAWA — Cabinet ministers did not exhaust every option they had to resolve the protests blockading Ottawa streets and border crossings across the country last winter before turning to the Emergencies Act, a federal inquiry heard Friday. The Emergencies Act was listed as a potential "plan B" on the final list of options that was considered by cabinet ministers the following day. It wasn't until Feb. 9 that deputy ministers started considering using it in the context of the protest. When such a serious option was brought to the table, Charette recommended ministers move the discussions to an incident response committee of cabinet ministers with decision-making powers. Charette said not every option was exhausted before cabinet decided to move ahead with the Emergencies Act.