Rounding out this week’s public hearings as part of the Public Order Emergency Commission was prominent “Freedom Convoy” organizer Tamara Lich’s cross-examination, followed by testimony from a pair of protest participants, and Diagolon’s Jeremy MacKenzie.
The commission then ended off with former RCMP officer Daniel Bulford, who assisted with security for the “Freedom Convoy” and previously had been on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s security detail before resigning over the forces’ vaccine mandate.
From Lich being accused of having a “selective” memory when it comes to recalling the events that unfolded in Ottawa, to hearing about protesters’ experiences, here are the highlights from Friday’s hearings so far.
One notable exchange from Friday’s proceedings came while Lich was under cross-examination by a lawyer representing the Ottawa Police Service. In showing Lich a Feb. 16 police log that indicated officers had told her to depart the city and share that message with others, she was asked whether she recalled this interaction.
Lich said that she remembers being upset.
“I believe I said something to the effect of ‘I can’t believe that you’re about to do this to your own people,”‘ she said.
Asked if she was crying because it was over and police told her to leave, she said she didn’t recall police telling her that she needed to leave. “It was suggested,” she said.
The Ottawa police lawyer then stated: “It seems to me your memory is selective when I take you to something that implicates you, you have no memory of it.”
Lich’s lawyer then popped up to say that was “inflammatory,” and quickly the line of questioning moved on.
Though, another instance where Lich’s memory was called into question came up while under questioning by a lawyer representing the citizens of Ottawa.
Asking Lich about testimony indicating that she “obviously” would have followed a court injunction to leave, it was pointed out to her that when an injunction against horn honking was imposed, her legal representation appeared in court to oppose it.
“You weren’t aware that was the position you were taking?” the lawyer asked.
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