Opinion | Nothing could prepare Peter Sloly for the Freedom Convoy. Four years on, the former police chief sees it as a turning point — for more than his own career

Is there a police chief anywhere in Canada who’s had as rough a ride over the past decade as Peter Sloly? Sloly was the chief in Ottawa when, four years ago, a trucker convoy occupied his city for three weeks. Sloly got enmeshed in a complicated stew of politics, which ultimately cost him his job. Four years later, he opens up on that difficult time.

Steve Paikin: When you were in the thick of the convoy controversy, did you think most Canadians were on your side in managing the crisis?

Peter Sloly: I thought it was a Rorschach test for most Canadians around how they felt about a range of issues — not just vaccines, but just where the country was, and what our place was in the world. Some 65 to 70 per cent of Canadians were not pleased with the Freedom Convoy. But I did some quick math and that leaves anywhere between 12 to 15 million Canadians who were somewhat pleased or supportive of it. That’s a very large and important segment of Canada’s population who feel some sympathies for what took place. All the more reason that the debate was important and still needs to go on.

What did you think of the convoy?

Do I feel that four years on, looking back at the two years of COVID, that we got it all right and there’s really nothing to revisit? Absolutely not. And as I hope a lot of Canadians are, I’m still trying to understand what took place there. The social contract that we had lived with for many decades was damaged, if not destroyed. So, in that context, I think the freedom convoy was important. Do I agree with the extreme elements in it? Absolutely not. Do I agree with the extreme elements that went against it? Absolutely not. Did we get a lot wrong in a lot of ways? Yes. Did we ultimately get it mostly right in the most important ways? Yes, we did.

What would you have done differently?

The type of collaborations that were necessary — a 3D, 4D, 5D chess game that was playing out on the national stage in real time — were almost impossible. You know: coulda, woulda, shoulda. Could I have been clearer in communication? Could I have been more effective in coalition and relationships? Absolutely — all things I wish I could do over in any part of my life, quite frankly.

I think that we saw COVID really stretch, strain, and in some cases break our social safety net, our institutional resilience. I think a lot of institutions that were important for Canadians and critically important for resolving that unprecedented public safety crisis were not at the top of their game. National Security, policing, our elected officials at all three levels of government, just didn’t bring their A-game. But we got it together after several weeks of fumbling and stumbling and infighting. 

I do remember thinking at the time, if this were happening in the United States, for sure someone would have got killed. But as you were in the midst of this, how difficult was it to do your job when you had a police services board, a city, a provincial government, and a federal government all to satisfy? Could you, under those circumstances, really have a shot at getting this right?

I was actually asked almost that exact question by then police board chair (Diane) Deans, a city councillor in Ottawa. ‘Do you have the ability, the capacity, and the resources to address what’s taking place here in this city?’ And my answer was, ‘No!’ We’re a municipal police service with 1,200 police officers and a relatively small budget. We’re dealing with a national security crisis that happens to be centred in Ottawa but actually has its tentacles right across the country and beyond.

Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters during the “Freedom Convoy” protest against COVID-19 restrictions after weeks of demonstrations on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Cole Burston/The Canadian Press file photo

I think many people across the country wanted you and your officers to move in on this convoy and to make a ton of arrests. They wanted you to get tow trucks in there and haul these vehicles out. Was that something you ever felt you could do?

Never. For two reasons. We simply didn’t have the resources until they started to finally flow in — the extra officers that showed up from across the country with public order-specific training.

More importantly, I lived through events internationally and nationally where police officers waded into crowds of protesters using excessive force, assuming that the use of force would resolve a very complex social justice issue or a very dynamic and potentially dangerous political issue. And the result was abuses of force and lawsuits paid out where people were injured and incarcerated. I consulted with the best charter lawyers before and during that event. And nobody ever said to me, you lawfully can or ethically can or practically can wade into a crowd with the dynamics that we saw over those two weeks where force could be used.

I’d love to know which political leaders you think stepped up and were helpful to your efforts to end this thing, and which one’s kind of headed for the hills and hid?

Somehow, I knew this question would be asked. (Then city) councillor (Catherine) McKenney was not a particular fan of policing or of Peter Sloly. But I have to say, they did a brilliant job representing their local community, representing city council, and advocating for the types of resources that ultimately we did need as a police service. I give Mayor (Jim) Watson some credit. At the end of the day, I think he did his job as best as he could. But after that, I have to tell you, it kind of runs a bit thin, Steve. I was very curious and conflicted and confused about some of the responses I was seeing from the federal government, the prime minister’s office, and the prime minister himself in refusing to have any real dialogue.

Should the PM have talked with the convoy organizers?

We actually had regular dialogue several days into the events where we were trying to find an effective interlocutor. I recommended it to the federal government and recommended several names, including (United Nations Ambassador) Bob Rae, who could potentially come in and start to open a dialogue which could take the pressure off. But nothing ever came of it.

After Ottawa Police handed out papers telling the truckers to leave or face arrest there was no movement on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Steve Russell/Toronto Star file photo

What did you think of the imposition of the Emergencies Act to bring the occupation to an end?

I think the Federal Court of Appeal has come back with their ruling on the lawfulness of the Emergencies Act. (They said it was improperly used). And I think based on their ruling, I have even more confusion and consternation. Ultimately, I think it was an example of an unnecessary overreach, that didn’t materially address any of the real concerns that were taking place.

Sources have told me the premier of Ontario’s office wanted nothing to do with any of this. Was Doug Ford helpful or more interested in keeping his head down?

Very early in the crisis, there was a three-levels-of-government daily phone call involving the city of Ottawa, the province of Ontario, and the federal government. Unfortunately, the province of Ontario was not a regular attendee and when they were, didn’t seem to be able to bring too much to bear. We had tremendous support from the Ontario Provincial Police. But ultimately, I do believe the province declined to participate in the Rouleau Commission, which could have provided better information and understanding to Canadians as to what did and didn’t take place.

Four years later, do you think this whole controversy could have been brought to the kind of peaceful end it ultimately arrived at without the use of the Emergencies Act?

Some aspects of the Emergencies Act were helpful, but none of them were requested in the planning and the resource requests that led up to the actual implementation. And none of us were consulted on it.

Do you think Canadians really want to know more about what happened during those three weeks?

I actually think most Canadians, most politicians across almost all political streams, just want to forget about it and move on. But there are still important lessons, and still important developments that are at play within our society that we need to address. The divisions existed before the Freedom Convoy. They were on stark display during the Freedom Convoy, and they remain in place. This wasn’t an Us vs. Them. It’s an Us. And until we get to a real Us solution, I think we still have a significant problem.

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly takes off his hat as he arrives to speak at a news conference on updated enforcement measures as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions continues into its second week, in Ottawa, on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press file photo

How angry are you still about the fact that this controversy cost you your job? 

I resigned because, unfortunately, public trust, in my police service and in me, had dwindled so much, and the resources that we desperately needed were being delayed for reasons I still to this day can’t fully understand. I’m not mad. (I am) disappointed in some of the ways I was treated. I was vindicated by the reports of Justice (Paul) Rouleau and others who said I was scapegoated. And I’ve moved on. I’m now an adjunct professor at Massey College. I’m writing a book. So, life goes on. I had a wonderful career. It didn’t necessarily end exactly the way I wanted, but it ended with me doing my best to serve and protect this country, the community and the city that I was hired to serve. And ultimately the plan came through. It was done safely and ethically and lawfully. Nobody died. There were no riots, no burning police cars. At the end of the day, it was a truly Canadian, boring, safe secure ending to a very unprecedented national crisis.