Hana Laura Yamamoto

Title
Counsel
Organization / Affiliation
Government of Alberta (AB)

Hana Laura Yamamoto spoke 25 times across 1 day of testimony.

  1. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Good morning. Hana Laura Yamamoto for the Government of Alberta. Can you see and hear me?

    20-056-05

  2. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Perfect.

    20-056-10

  3. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Good morning, Mayor Willett. I have a few questions for you.

    20-056-12

  4. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Clerk, if you could please ---

    20-056-15

  5. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Of course, Commissioner. Hana Laura Yamamoto for the Province of Alberta. Mr. Clerk, if you could please bring up WTS00000012; it’s been up before. This is your witness statement. (SHORT PAUSE)

    20-056-20

  6. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    And just while that’s coming up; so on page 5 you stated that you did not receive the type of support you expected from the provincial and federal governments. So what kind of support did you expect from the federal government?

    20-056-26

  7. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And so I have the same question with respect to provincial government; what kind of support did you expect from the provincial government?

    20-057-11

  8. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. So now that you say that there’s things that you saw going on in the background, in your opinion is that statement still true, that you believe that the provincial government should have made better use of the Critical Infrastructure Act?

    20-057-23

  9. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Thank you, Mayor. So you understand as well that the RCMP was the lead agency responsible for responding to the border blockade occurring at Coutts, and they would make the operational plans and decisions?

    20-058-10

  10. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    I apologize. I should slow down for the translator as well. So you understand that the RCMP would have been the lead agency responsible for responding to the border blockades occurring at Coutts, and they would have made the operational plans and decisions?

    20-058-18

  11. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And you worked with the RCMP throughout this blockade?

    20-058-25

  12. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. So Mr. Clerk, if I could have you pull up ALB00000908.0001? So what you’re going to see here is a statement from the Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Savage on February 8th, 2022. Now, the fourth and fifth paragraphs from the bottom is just where we want to go. Perfect. And it says: “Those participating in this illegal blockade could potentially face charges or actions under any number of laws including...” And it includes the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, and goes on to say: “Whatever action law enforcement may take is at their independent discretion. I trust the authorities to lay appropriate charges wherever the evidence provides reasonable grounds [to do] so.” So based on that statement, do you now understand that it’s the RCMP that would have made decisions whether or not to undertake enforcement under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act?

    20-059-01

  13. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. We saw your texts with Minister Sawhney; we don’t have to pull them up, but those would be under COU00000016. So these texts show contact every day, often multiple times a day, from February 2nd to 18th, as well as you said you had phone calls with Minister Sawhney?

    20-059-28

  14. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And you also had a phone call with the Premier?

    20-060-07

  15. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    And at no time did you make a request for specific supports or assistance from the Province?

    20-060-10

  16. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    But based on that conversation, there were things that the Alberta government was doing to support removing the border blockade at Coutts.

    20-060-26

  17. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    I apologise. I'll slow down and speak up. And based on that conversation with Premier Kenney, Alberta was providing supports if not -- even if you weren't asking for specific supports; correct?

    20-061-04

  18. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And you had wanted Minister Sonya to speak with protestors?

    20-061-09

  19. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And you had said that the protestors were like herding cats?

    20-061-17

  20. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Were like herding cats, sorry, excuse me.

    20-061-21

  21. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    So there was no definitive leader of the protest?

    20-062-03

  22. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And I just have one point of clarification. So in your evidence with my friend Commission Counsel, you said that tractors lined up on the side of the road on the 14th. And I just want to clarify, that's so traffic could flow?

    20-062-07

  23. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. And you're not sure if that was the evening of the 14th, or did that start the evening of the 14th where they were moving the tractors?

    20-062-21

  24. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Okay. Perfect. Thank you, Mayor Willett. That's all my questions.

    20-063-01

  25. Hana Laura Yamamoto, Counsel (AB)

    Good evening. Hana Laura Yanamoto for the Government of Alberta, and we have no questions.

    20-218-06