U.S Homeland Security concerned about ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada, inquiry hears
OTTAWA — A senior federal public servant says the United States Department of Homeland Security was concerned that major protest blockades in Canada could catch on south of the border.
Dominic Rochon, a senior assistant deputy minister with the national and cybersecurity branch of the government, was among the first federal representatives to testify at the public inquiry investigating the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act last winter.
He says the public safety department received several calls from U.S. security experts about how Canada was coping with the protests, which blocked border crossings between the two countries and gridlocked downtown Ottawa streets.
Rochon says they were also concerned similar protests could manifest on their side of the border.