OPP identified convoy protest as national security threat in early February

Ontario Provincial Police identified an unspecified threat to national securityin early February while protests were underway in downtown Ottawa and elsewhere in the country, a parliamentary committee heard Thursday.

The OPP's intelligence bureau identified the threatFeb. 7, a week before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first timein Canada'shistory, givingpolice more tools to restore order in places where public assemblies constituted illegal and dangerous activities like blockades and occupations.

But OPP CommissionerThomas Carriquedid not provide further details to the House of Commons standing committee on public safety and national security.

"This is not the appropriate venue to get into the specifics of intelligence," he said.

"What Ican tell you is the collection of intelligence right across the country, with the simultaneous activities going on and the events in our nation'scapital, we did identify, collectively, a riskto national security."

OPP started sharing convoy intelligence in mid-January

Carrique said the OPP's intelligence bureaustarted passing information aboutthe so-called Freedom Convoy to 35 other police forces and security agencies on Jan. 13, two weeks beforethousands of trucks and protestersfirst arrived in downtown Ottawa.

By Jan. 22,six days before protesters arrived in Ottawa en masse,the bureau wasreporting on the convoy daily.

Carrique did notprovide the substance of those reports, however, including whether or not the intelligence bureau wasaware of any plans by protestersto stay in placeuntil their demands were met.

Exactly what police knewabout the intentions of Freedom Convoy protesters before they rolled intodowntown Ottawa and ended up campingout for weeks forms a crucial part of the myriad investigations still underway into how law enforcement handled the crisis.

Thursday's committee meeting didn't shed much light on the question, as interim Ottawa police Chief Steve Bellsaid only that it was difficultfor liaison officers to identify organizers of the "fractured, frayed" group to determinetheir plans, and that they made contact with "several people."

Several MPs askedquestions attempting to get to the heart of the issue, withBell saying repeatedly that heavy trucks had entered the area for protests in the past and left without incident.

The fact this convoy choseto staywas "unprecedented," he said.

At an Ottawa police oversight board meeting just days into the crisis, Bell, who was then deputy chief,saidintelligence coming in fromsecurity partners across the country when the convoyfirst set off suggested protesterswould stay a short time and leave,just like every other protest that has come to Ottawa.

Sources also told CBC Newsat the time that the seven or eight convoy leadersin contact with police indicatedmost of the trucks wouldroll out that first weekend.

"We are actively now engaged in the reviews that identify what was the information we had, what were the courses [of action] that were taken, and what we can learn ... to make sure something like this does not occur again," Bell told the committeeThursday.

No clear answer on possible firearms

Bell faced repeated questions from the committeeaboutwhether police found any firearms during their multi-day operation to clear streets.

He said police had "received information and intelligence around weapons" but that no charges related to firearms have been laid yet.

Investigations are underway, Bell said, adding thatpolice don't comment on ongoing investigations.

Police from across the country finally cleared downtown streets in a massive operation that began Feb. 17and lasted several days, and the Emergencies Act which had been ratified in the House of Commonsafter muchdebatewas revoked days later.

Both Carrique and Bell told the standing committee the actgave police important tools to help dismantle the protest, including the ability to keep people out of certain areas, freeze bank accounts and more.

A special joint committee of Parliament is scrutinizing thefederal government's use of the act, and a separateinquest will also be held.