Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has accused Freedom Convoy protesters of threatening Ottawa residents with rape, despite not a single criminal charge being filed.

“There were Ottawans who were subjected to intimidation, harassment, threats of rape,” Mendicino testified, without presenting any hard evidence.

Conservative MP Larry Brock swung back at Mendicino, saying that no one in the cabinet mentioned sexual assault even once while debating the Emergencies Act in the House of Commons.

“The most disturbing aspect of what I hear is this rape allegation, a very heinous crime. We debated this particular issue for over 40 hours. Not once did the Prime Minister, did you or any other senior member of the cabinet or any member of your backbench raise a rape allegation,” Brock stated.

“My question to you is very pointed: if that allegation did not result in a criminal charge, will you undertake to prove this committee with proof of the allegation.”

In response, Mendicino claims that the “absence of criminal charges doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”

 Conservative MP Raquel Dancho pressed Mendicino on his claims further, asking if there was such a threat how, as the Public Safety Minister, could he allow parliamentarians to walk past the protest without any warning or additional security.

“Women on this panel right now walked past that protest every day, and you are saying there was a threat to public safety,” Dancho asked.

“I just don’t know how you could be saying, on the one hand, this is a national emergency for public safety, and I walked every day past these protests. It just doesn’t really add up at all.”

Mendicino claims that he got the advice from law enforcement before Dancho interjected, saying that if there was such a risk, then “I just can’t believe you could put us in danger in that way.”