Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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In this cross examination at the Public Order Emergency Commission #POEC Janani Shanmuganathan for the Canadian Constitution Foundation cross examines a panel of witnesses from the Prime Minister's Office. The theme of the questions is whether cabinet was provided with the legal opinion that the definition of "national security threat" is different from the definition in the CSIS act. This is significant because the government is relying on a novel (and likely incorrect) legal theory that the two definitions are different.

The witness from the Prime Minister's Office, Katie Telford, cannot confirm that cabinet had this legal opinion when they made the decision to invoke the act. This is significant because the Cabinet needs this opinion in order to assess it and make their decision. At the end of the day, it is the Prime Minister's responsibility to make sure this information was provided to cabinet.

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