Police walk through parked trucks to make an arrest on Wellington Street, on the 21st day of a protest, in Ottawa, on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. The Federal Court ruled Tuesday the Liberal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the "Freedom Convoy" protests was unreasonable and led to the infringement of constitutional rights. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)

By Nolan Kowal

Local reaction

‘It was the most peaceful thing I’ve ever seen’: P.A. reaction to Emergencies Act ruling

Jan 24, 2024 | 4:54 PM

A Prince Albert man who participated in the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa two years ago said he’s not overly surprised with the federal court ruling that came out on Tuesday that stated that the federal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was not justified and infringed on Charter rights.

Ryan Mihalewicz, who lives in Prince Albert, was in Ottawa during the protests that gridlocked the nation’s capital two winters ago.

“I’m surprised in a way but not really because they had no reason to do it,” said Mihalewicz. “It was the most peaceful thing I’ve ever seen. The east and west come together for probably the first time in history… hugging dancing, bouncy castles for kids. There was no harm to anybody there at any point or any time.”

“Everyone [was] happy, everyone was just free for once, not like it was prior to that,” he continued. “Everyone was hopeful this would all end and then the government overreached like they did. By the end it turned really bad because police moved in and started trampling people with horses, one girl was in a wheelchair, beating people with their batons, tear gassing… seen a lot of bad stuff that our police force caused.”

Mihalewicz added he was personally impacted by the Emergencies Act when it came into effect.

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“Still am impacted to this day with a $450 million lawsuit pending,” he said.

The federal government responded Tuesday by saying they will appeal the court’s decision.

“I’m almost willing to guess that the Liberal government will get away with appealing this and that’s just my thoughts,” Mihalewicz said. “It won’t surprise me [if it’s reversed], let’s put it that way.”

Meanwhile, Conservative Member of Parliament for Prince Albert Randy Hoback said he wasn’t surprised with the ruling either.

“I was on the ground when the protest was ongoing and I didn’t feel anything that was unsafe or a situation that justified the invoking of the Emergencies Act,” Hoback said. “What I saw was a lot of people who were frustrated and mad and who had felt unlistened to, who wanted to make a point, who wanted to have a conversation with the prime minister who refused to talk to them.”

Hoback said he’s also unsurprised with the government’s decision to appeal the ruling.

“This is a prime minister that doesn’t like to not get his way. So even when the courts are saying you’re wrong, he just can’t accept that fact, so he’s going to do everything he can, spend as much taxpayer dollars to try to prove that he’s right, but it’s very clear he’s been wrong in this situation.”

“Why he’d continue down this path is beyond me.”

Hoback added he did not have have much dialogue with people in his riding during the protests, but that he sensed the movement was supported by many people in the Prince Albert region overall for various reasons.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com