Yearlong criminal trial of 'Freedom Convoy' organizers comes to an end
After 45 days of evidence and legal arguments the criminal trial of "Freedom Convoy" organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is finally at an end.
A verdict could be as much as six months away.
"I don’t know in this moment when I will be in a position to give my decision," Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said Friday.
She said "it's a little daunting," given the unusually great volume of evidence and legal questions associated with the case.
Lich and Barber are co-accused of mischief, intimidation and counselling others to break the law for their role in the 2022 protest that drew thousands of demonstrators to Ottawa for three weeks.
Though the charges against the two appear straightforward, the trial has been anything but.
Originally scheduled to last just 16 days, the case has been mired in the complexity of the legal arguments, a huge body of evidence and disclosure delays that have dragged the proceedings out more than a year.
Lich, who became something of a figurehead in the protest, and Barber, one of the original organizers, drove into Ottawa together as part of a massive convoy of big rigs that parked on the streets around Parliament Hill and nearby residential areas and refused to leave until their demands were met.
The Crown and defence largely agree on what happened when the Freedom Convoy protest rolled into Ottawa to demand the federal government drop COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.
The Crown’s case included 16 witnesses who painted a picture of life in Ottawa during those tumultuous weeks in the capital. Ottawa residents, business owners, police officers and city officials described high-traffic roads blocked with big rigs, overwhelming smells from idling vehicles and open fires, shuttered stores and, above all, the overwhelming noise from the near constant honking of air horns.
Lich and Barber’s legal teams filed signed admissions to a similar effect.
The question for Perkins-McVey to answer now is whether Lich and Barber can be held responsible for what unfolded in the streets of Ottawa.
The defence has argued that the two were exercising their fundamental rights as part of a legal protest, and did not break the law themselves.
In his closing arguments, Lich's lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said in a contest between the Charter-protected freedom of expression and Ottawa residents' right to the enjoyment of their property, there is no contest,
The Crown argued Friday that isn't quite right.
"No right is without limits, including the right to stand up for your beliefs," Crown attorney Siobhain Wetscher said Friday.
The Crown asserts that the two organizers were in cahoots to put pressure on people in Ottawa and the federal government to achieve their political means.
In calling on protesters to “hold the line,” Lich and Barber “crossed the line” from peaceful protest into criminal activity, the Crown asserts.
Further complicating the case, the Crown also alleges the two worked together so closely, evidence against one of them should apply to both.
If the judge agrees with the Crown’s conspiracy allegation it would be particularly detrimental to Lich, whose social media statements during the protest were somewhat less bombastic and potentially problematic for the defence than Barber’s.
Greenspon called the Crown’s strategy unprecedented in a case where their common goal, to protest for policy change, is legal.
Though the two accused had been travelling to Ottawa to attend court over the course of the trial, they attended the final day by video conference from their homes in Alberta and Saskatchewan, respectively.
Lich smiled and waved at a dozen or so supporters from a large TV screen set up at the front of the room.
Lich and Barber’s legal fees for the prolonged trial have largely been covered by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, though both have been fundraising throughout the trial as well.
Lich has already spent a combined 49 days in jail, first after her initial arrest during the 2022 demonstrations and again following an alleged bail breach last summer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Polls close for closely watched byelections in Montreal and Winnipeg
The NDP has a slight early lead in Winnipeg while remaining in a three-way race with the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois in Montreal as ballots continue to be counted in two crucial federal byelections.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours
The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.
Local Spotlight
Young family from northern Ontario wins $70 million Lotto Max jackpot
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
'The right thing to do': Good Samaritan builds new cart for Moncton man
A good Samaritan in New Brunswick replaced a man's stolen bottle cart.
Oppenheimer star David Krumholtz dishes on his time filming in Winnipeg
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
'Craziest thing I've ever seen': Elusive salamanders make surprising mass appearance in Edmonton area
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
'A nightmare': Nature-goers stranded in B.C. backcountry after bridge washes out
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.
B.C. woman reveals greatest life lesson after celebrating 100th birthday
If you take a look to the right of Hilda Duddridge’s 100th birthday cake, you’ll see a sculpture of a smiling girl extending her arms forward.
Sisters finally see the Canadian 'aviation artifact' built by their father nearly 90 years ago
Two sisters have finally been reunited with a plane their father built 90 years ago, that is also considered an important part of Canadian aviation history.
The debate over taking horns off Viking statue in Gimli
A Facebook post has sparked a debate in Gimli about whether to make a cosmetic change to its iconic statue.
Collector scores 'holy grail' at B.C. Pokemon shop
A Pokémon card shop in Richmond is coming off a record-setting month, highlighted by a customer opening a pack to discover one of the most sought-after cards in the world.