OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — The Canadian government’s appeal of the acquittals of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on intimidation charges will not be heard until the spring of 2027.
In anX post last week, Lich said that her original 18-month house arrest sentence will be “served January 21, 2027, and then it’ll be back to court to start this process all over again.”
“By the time this is over, if it ever truly is, the Ontario taxpayers will be on the hook for around $15M for the prosecution of our case alone,” she wrote.
(LifeSiteNews) — A motion for a “permanent stay of proceedings” was filed by a Canadian legal group to try and stop a $290 million class-action lawsuit filed by disgruntled Ottawa residents against the Freedom Convoy leaders.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said in a press release that its lawyers have filed a motion for a permanent stay of proceedings in the case and hope the suit will be dropped.
“The integrity of the justice system depends on transparency between all parties,” constitutional lawyer James Manson said about the case.
“When one side secretly enters into an agreement with a defendant that requires cooperation against others, and then does not disclose that agreement immediately, as required by law, the basic fairness of the process is fundamentally undermined. Courts cannot permit litigation to proceed on a foundation that has been compromised in this way.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the JCCF had recently announced it has a “significant procedural development” that could put the case “on hold.”
In February 2022, Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and others were hit with the lawsuit, which originally started at $9.8 million but ballooned to $290 million.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by Ottawa civil servant Zexi Li on February 4, 2022, along with Geoffrey Delaney, Happy Goat Coffee Company, and a local union. It names plaintiffs who have businesses or were working in the city’s downtown core during the Freedom Convoy.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, a court said last year that the lawsuit could proceed.
According to the JCCF, the motion to put the case on hold comes from “the plaintiffs’ failure to immediately disclose a settlement agreement reached in April 2024 with one of the defendants.”
The JCCF noted in April 2024 that Chad Eros, one of its defendants, signed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs. The JCCF said that at the time that “Mr. Eros did not have a lawyer formally on the court record.”
The JCCF said that the defendant “was self-represented at the time. The agreement required him to provide documents to the plaintiffs for use against other defendants, participate in a private interview of up to five hours, provide an affidavit in support of the plaintiffs, make himself available for cross-examination, and pay $60,000 in exchange for his release from the action.”
“Although Ontario law requires such types of partial settlement agreements to be disclosed immediately to the other parties in the litigation, in this case the agreement was not disclosed to other defence counsel until January 27, 2026, nearly 22 months after it was executed,” the JCCF noted.
On March 6, 2025, Ontario Court of Appeals Justices David Brown, Peter Lauwers, and Steve Coroza ruled that a $290 million class-action lawsuit against some of those who organized and participated in the Freedom Convoy for creating a “public nuisance causing pain” will be allowed to proceed.
In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.
During the clear-out of protesters after the EA was put in place, one protester, an elderly lady, was trampled by a police horse and one conservative female reporter was beaten by police and shot with a tear gas canister.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal affirmed several weeks ago a ruling that Trudeau’s use of the EA in 2022 to clear the Freedom Convoy protesters against COVID mandates was illegal.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre offered his thoughts on the house arrest sentencing of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, wishing them a “peaceful” life while stopping short of blasting the sentence as his fellow MPs did.
“Tamara Lich and Chris Barber peacefully protested the imposition of emergency measures that the Federal Court found to be unlawful and unconstitutional. Instead of pursuing rapists, drug dealers, and other monsters, the Crown sought lengthy prison sentences,” he wrote on X late Tuesday.
Poilievre said that Ontario Justice Heather Perkins-McVey “rightly rejected the Crown’s request and sent Tamara and Chris home to their families.”
“We must get to a justice system that ensures the security and freedom of all Canadians. I wish Chris and Tamara a peaceful and happy life.”
Poilievre’s comments in regard to Lich and Barber’s house arrest sentencing were rather tame compared with those of some Conservative MPs.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer condemned the Freedom Convoy leaders’ trial as “political persecution.”
Yesterday, as reported by LifeSiteNews, People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier had choice words regarding Lich and Barber’s sentencing, calling it “excessive and unfair.”
Canadian political pundits and right-of-center media were quick to blast what they called “onerous” house arrest conditions placed on Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, who were sentenced yesterday by an Ontario judge after earlier being found guilty of mischief.
Rebel News head Ezra Levant, who has been covering the trial extensively, gave his assessment of the verdict, saying there was “good” and “bad” news.
“Good news: no additional jail time for Tamara Lich or Chris Barber,” he wrote on X.
“Bad news: onerous house arrest provisions. The real punishment was the longest mischief trial in Canadian history. Total political vendetta by Doug Ford’s prosecutors.”
On October 7, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after being convicted earlier in the year convicted of “mischief.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.
Freedom Convoy sentencing straight from anarcho-tyranny playbook– www.theblaze.com Source Link Excerpt:
You may not have heard the term “anarcho-tyranny” in a while — maybe never. But it’s the only phrase that fits what’s unfolding in Canada right now: a system that punishes peaceful political dissent while letting real criminals off easy. It’s lawfare in service of regime security.
That was true under Justin Trudeau, and it’s even more apparent under his successor, Prime Minister Mark Carney — a globalist banker who cashed in on political connections and now presides over a government determined to crush dissent.
Even if Barber and Lich are granted the absolute discharge that their lawyers are requesting, the Liberal government has proven its point: Defy us, and we will … ruin your life.
Drawn-out sentencing
Just look at the ongoing prosecution of Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, two of the main organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy — the trucker-led protest that captured global attention when thousands of Canadians rolled into Ottawa to peacefully demand an end to COVID-19 mandates and lockdowns.
The trial began shortly after Labor Day 2023. On April 3, 2024, the pair were found guilty of mischief, but nearly six months later, they still haven’t been sentenced. Their next court date isn’t until October 7.
That makes this the longest mischief trial in Canadian history.
Let’s be clear: Barber and Lich face up to eight and seven years in prison, respectively. For mischief. For organizing a protest. The Crown — Canada’s prosecution — has also filed a request to seize Barber’s truck, known as “Big Red,” an icon of the convoy.
A Canadian trucker who took part in the 2022 Freedom Convoy in protest against COVID mandates and who was zip-tied and denied access to legal counsel has been spared jail time after a court instead gave him probation.
In a court update, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said that Guy Meister, who was a peaceful trucker, was “denied access to legal counsel and held for hours in a freezing police van” after his arrest during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest and is now free.
The JCCF noted that Meister, who had no previous criminal record but a long history of volunteerism, received a conditional discharge and six months’ probation — avoiding jail time.”
Meister was arrested by police on February 18, 2022, after the large-scale police takedown of the Freedom Convoy protesters when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau authorized never-before-used emergency powers.
He was convicted of mischief and obstructing police after he parked his truck in downtown Ottawa in protest.
The defense is calling for an absolute discharge for Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber as their trial continues.
During a July 24 court session, defense lawyers argued that Lich and Barber should not serve additional jail time for their role in organizing and leading the 2022 Freedom Convoy which protested COVID mandates.
“This is an individual who came to this city with the best of intentions, as recognized by the judge. She has been under strict bail conditions for three-and-a-half years. She spent 49 days in jail for the offence of mischief,” Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said.
“And if one looks at the positive impact that she’s had on the lives of many Canadians and the community service that she has continued to do, there’s absolutely no reason for her to not receive an absolute discharge,” he continued.
Currently, the Crown is seeking seven years for Lich on a single mischief conviction, and eight years for Barber and the forfeiture of Barber’s truck.
This sentencing, to be determined on October 7, has been roundly condemned by Canadians, including many prominent politicians.
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