Theater of the Absurd...

In essence, the inquiry’s mission was fulfilled once it was clear — and all but admitted by government ministers — that the conditions had not been met, that, instead, other conditions than those laid down in the act itself were called upon.

Trudeau was not there to ruminate on the nature of protest, or offer his achievement of personal “serenity” after making the fateful decision, or wax on empathetically about “what might have happened” (he shared that fixation with his finance minister.)

He was there to tell whether or not the legal requirements for calling up the — I repeat — most drastic legislation available to the government had been met. He plainly could not say, did not say, and will never be able to say they were.