Was Justin Trudeau’s government right to invoke emergency legislation to relieve the gridlock that paralyzed the capital earlier this year? A commission of inquiry on Thursday opened a debate on the topic, which is still being actively debated in Canada, AFP reports.

The week-long occupation of downtown Ottawa by truckers mobilized against health restrictions marked a country unusual for such social movements, and their eviction using a law rarely used in peacetime sparked a serious debate about civil liberties.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was criticized at the time, is called as a witness to a politically engaged independent commission.

“What prompted the federal government to declare a state of emergency? How did he use the powers he was given, and did he act appropriately?’ These are “fundamental” questions the commission will have to answer, its president, former judge Paul Rouleau, said at the opening of Thursday’s deliberations.

The commission’s work, which is mandatory after any trigger of the exemption, will span six weeks of public hearings, with 65 witnesses expected, and is due to submit a final report by February 2023.

Justin Trudeau was sharply criticized by the opposition and rights groups for implementing the law on February 14 after weeks of protests paralyzed the federal capital, Ottawa, and blocked the border with the US neighbor.

The rarely-used law gave the Canadian government exceptional powers in the event of a “national crisis,” allowing it to allow banks and other financial service providers to immediately freeze or suspend accounts without a court order.

Trudeau lifted the emergency measures days later, on February 23, after protesters were evacuated from downtown Ottawa following a massive police operation.

The leader defended himself, saying the authorities needed “more tools to restore order” after more than three weeks of “dangerous and illegal activity”.

“The government acted unconstitutionally,” the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said this week, adding that it had “other options.”

The protest, which was initially played down by authorities, began with truck drivers protesting the requirement to be vaccinated to cross the border into the United States, and then expanded to a general rejection of health regulations in Canada.

Demonstrators went so far as to block a bridge between the Canadian city of Windsor and the US city of Detroit, paralyzing a vital trade route for industries, including the automotive industry.