In his final report on the Public Order Emergency Commission, Judge Rouleau said misinformation unfairly discredited protesters – and that it was “prone to amplification in news media.” 

On Friday, Rouleau released a 273 page report from the Commission. While ultimately determining Trudeau justly invoked the Emergencies Act, Rouleau also said that the arson hoax story was unfair to truckers and all freedom protesters.

“I am also satisfied that there was misinformation about the Freedom Convoy, which was used as a basis to unfairly discredit all protesters,” he said.

“In one example, protesters were blamed for an act of arson in an apartment building, which the police later confirmed had no links to the protests. Where there was misinformation and disinformation about the protests, it was prone to amplification in the news media.” 

Rouleau further mentioned OPP Superintendent Pat Morris’s testimony, who led the OPP’s intelligence collection of the protest, when Morris said that the media didn’t reflect what he saw in reality.

The connection of the arson story to the protesters was spread first among media and then politicians in the days leading up to Trudeau deciding that the protest was a national emergency. 

At the time, Global News connected the apartment arson to the Freedom Convoy. Global News reported that one of the perpetrators said “I’m a protester, I’m part of the protest,” which turned out to be untrue.

Subsequently, numerous politicians expressed concern about the protest being dangerous while referring to the fire to justify their claims.

In fact, just last week, British Columbia NDP MLA Doug Routley proposed a motion to condemn the Freedom protestors and brought up the arson hoax.

“Madame speaker, many of my friends live and work in Ottawa. One of my friends lives in the apartment building in which a fire was set in the lobby,” he said.