Blurred Lines: Representations of the Nature of the Police and Government Relationship During the Freedom Occupation Crisis: The Contested Concept of Operational Independence

Abstract

The nature of the police and government relationship across Canada, and specifically, Ontario, has been difficult to navigate for police and politicians alike, over the last several decades. This thesis examines how the relationship between these two groups can be better understood, through the window of competing interpretations about the concept of operational independence. This research precisely focuses on understandings and representations of the police and government relationship in the context of the Freedom Occupation Crisis in 2022, which was situated within a public health crisis. The Freedom Occupation Crisis is a key event that provides this research with insight into how police and political authorities understand and function in their roles and alongside one another during a critical event in Canada, and specifically, the province of Ontario. This study employs a qualitative, reflexive thematic analysis of discussions from key players in policing and politics originating from the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) Inquiry. This research finds that representations of the police and government relationship have evolved from blurred lines to a separation between Church (any operational matter) and State (laws and policies). The evolution of these representations signifies a shift in key players’ understandings about the limitations of the operational independence of police. These findings suggest that the current representations of the nature of the police and government relationship reflect a lack of clarity surrounding operational independence that make this relationship difficult to navigate during a public crisis.