Explainer: Emergencies Act inquiry what's been said, what happens next

Experts in law, policing, protests and social media, among other topics, aresharing their insightswith the public inquiry into the federal government's unprecedented use of emergency powers to end the convoy protests that shut down Ottawa earlier this year.

The Public Order Emergency Commission began its "policy phase" on Mondayafter hearing from more than 70 witnesses ranging from protesters to the prime minister over the prior six weeks.

Here's a breakdown of why the inquiry is taking place, the key takeaways so farand what will happennext.

What prompted the inquiry?

It all stems from the government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14.

The act, used for the first time in its 34-year existence, gave authorities new powers to freeze the finances of those connected to blockades and other protests, to ban travel to protest zones, prohibit people from bringing minors to unlawful assemblies and to commandeer tow trucks, in order to remove the many transport trucks and other vehicles that had clogged the capital's downtown streets since Jan. 29.

The Emergencies Act says it is only to be invoked when a national emergency "cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada." It also requires the government to hold an inquiry after its invocation.

Who gave evidence?

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several government ministers including Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicinoand Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland appeared as witnesses.

Earlier this month, convoy organizers Chris Barber, Tamara Lich and Pat King testified, alongside other protest leaders and participants.

Other witnesses have included City of Ottawa officials, staff from the Prime Minister's Office, and leaders of the three police forces involved RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Commissioner Thomas Carrique and former Ottawa Police Service (OPS) chief Peter Sloly.

CSISdirector David Vigneault and other security and intelligence leaders gave evidencebehind closed doors.

What were the major revelations?

Differing views on need to invoke powers

The inquiry heard conflicting views from police and intelligence agency leaders about whether the Emergencies Act powers wereneeded.

The night before it was invoked, Lucki, the RCMP chief, told Mendicinoshe felt police hadnot yet exhausted "all available tools,"according to an email seen by the inquiry. A former senior OPP officer told the inquiry he did not believe the emergency powers were needed.

But Vigneault, the CSIS chief, supported invoking the Emergencies Act because "the regular tools were just not enough to address the situation." He had previously said he didn't believe the convoy constituted a "threat to national security," based on the definition in CSIS's legal mandate. In a February intelligence assessment, CSIS warned that invoking the act would "galvanize" protesters and radicalize some toward violence, according to documents seen bythe inquiry.

Trudeau's national security intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, said she believed the convoy participants posed a "threat to democracy."

Concerns over border blockade

Mendicino told the inquirythat Lucki separatefrom their email exchange that same day about the situation in Ottawa warned him directly on Feb. 13 about an "urgent" risk of serious violence from protesters at a border blockade in Coutts, Alta., and the conversation led him to believe she supported invoking the Emergencies Act.

Around dawn the following morning, the RCMP arrested more than a dozenCouttsprotesters and seized a cache of weapons, body armour and ammunition hours before the Emergencies Act was invoked.

Ottawa police planinadequate

Sloly, the Ottawa policechiefwho resigned the day after the act was invoked,.conceded that his police force's planning which was based on the assumption that the protesters would only stay in Ottawa for one week was wrong. But hemaintained that the intelligence he received did not suggest that protesters would dig in and remain.

In text messages released at the inquiry, Lucki told Carrique she was already losing confidence in Sloly and his police force, just one week into the protesters' three-week occupation of downtown Ottawa.

Shortly after Sloly's resignation, the RCMP and OPP took over the response to the convoy.

Ontario premier accused of hiding

Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson were frustrated by Ontario Premier Doug Ford's refusal to participate in a meeting to discuss the situation in Ottawa, and believed Ford was avoiding the issue for political reasons.

Ford and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones successfully challengedtheir summonses to appear at the inquiry.

Leaksfrom police to convoy

The inquiry also heard an allegation from a lawyer representing convoy organizers that police and security agencies leaked operational information to the protesters. Lucki said police were reviewing that claim.

What happens next?

The commission is now holding a series of panel discussions featuring academics and other experts on a range of topics like protestrights, misinformation and national security, among others. You can see the full list of experts and their topics here.

Their expertise will help the inquiry's commissioner develop recommendations, which could include changes tothe Emergencies Act itself or guidance onsituations where it would beappropriate to invoke the law.

The commission's final report, with findings and recommendations, must be tabled in the House of Commons and Senate by Feb. 20.