Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that invoking never-before-used emergency powers to end last winter’s truck protests, he “absolutely made the right choice.”
Mr Trudeau made the remarks during a Friday appearance before an inquiry into Canada’s use of the Emergencies Act.
He stated that he did not believe police had a proper plan in place to put an end to the anti-vaccine mandate protests.
For weeks, protests had paralysed Ottawa and shut down key border crossings.
The Act, in place between 14 February and 23 February, helped bring an end to three weeks of “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada.
It allowed the government to impose bans on public assembly, to prohibit travel to protest zones, and gave it the ability to freeze bank accounts, among other measures.
Critics say Mr Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act was an overreach of government power and could set a precedent for its use to quell future protests.
The Public Order Emergency Commission, which is examining whether the Trudeau government was justified in invoking those powers, has been hearing from a series of witnesses, including police, intelligence officials and protesters, for the last six weeks.
Mr Trudeau is the final person to testify.
He told the inquiry he was concerned the protests posed a threat of violence, and his goal was to keep both protesters and the public safe.
As the Ottawa protests continued into February, and grew to include blockades at the Ambassador Bridge and Coutts border crossings, he said it became clear events were not “dissipating”.
In a mid-February raid, police found a cache of weapons among a small organised group within the larger Coutts protest, among the things Mr Trudeau cited as a specific concern.
The inquiry also heard that Mr Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden during the protests, seeking to reassure his US counterpart that Canada remained a “reliable partner” and a “safe neighbour” in spite of the blockades.
On Thursday, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told the inquiry that the White House had expressed alarm when protesters blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a border point vital to North America automakers.
An independent inquiry after the Act’s use is required under the law, and a final report on the findings will be tabled next February.