Emergencies Act commission formally requests Doug Ford to testify 'voluntarily'
“On September 19, 2022, Commission counsel requested an interview with them. This request was refused. Commission counsel renewed this request a number of times; all requests were refused,” reads the letter.Article content
During a press conference last Monday, Ford asserted that he had never been invited to testify at POEC. Asked to clarify his statement in light of the commissions’ letter, Ford’s deputy chief of staff Ivana Yelich specified that the premier “was not asked to testify until after his comments last Monday.”
Canadian Constitution Foundation lawyer Sujit Choudhry said in a statement that it was “very disappointed” that Ford and Jones are dragging the commission to court to avoid testifying. Testimony at the commission last week, namely by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, revealed growing frustration from the municipal and federal governments towards perceived inaction from the Ford government early in the protests.