Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber wait for the Public Order Emergency Commission to begin on Nov. 1, 2022 in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The criminal trial for two of the most prominent faces of the trucker-led protests that paralyzed the core of the country’s capital for more than three weeks early last year is set to begin Tuesday.
The demonstrations prompted one of the largest police responses in Canadian history and largely led to the invocation of the federal Emergencies Act. In addition to the protests in Ottawa, traffic was blocked at vital border crossings in other parts of the country.
They face charges of mischief, obstructing police and intimidation of Parliament, as well as one charge of counselling for each of those three offences.
In a joint statement released ahead of the trial, lawyers for Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber said “we do not expect this to be the trial of the Freedom Convoy. The central issue will be whether the actions of two of the organizers of a peaceful protest should warrant criminal sanction,” the statement said.
Ms. Lich has worked primarily in the oil and gas sector and is based in Medicine Hat. She is a former member of the governing council of the separatist Maverick Party in Alberta. Mr. Barber is a commercial truck driver from Swift Current, Sask.
Separate from the criminal trial, Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber have also been named in a proposed $300-million class-action lawsuit. It calls for compensation after residents, businesses and workers in downtown Ottawa said they experienced “harms and losses” because of the protests.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), based in Calgary, said it is providing legal counsel for individuals named in the class-action lawsuit, including Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber.
Earlier this year, an organization called the Democracy Fund assumed fundraising responsibility for Ms. Lich’s legal bills for her criminal trial. Their website notes that Ms. Lich retained Lawrence Greenspon, one of Ottawa’s top lawyers, who is “accustomed to handling complex and serious cases” and “worth every penny.”
JCCF president John Carpay said the Justice Centre continues to receive donations for Mr. Barber’s defence and “other Canadians unjustly accused.”
In an interview on a YouTube channel last month, Mr. Barber said the criminal trial amounts to a “precedent-setting case” for anyone in Canada protesting.
The trial for Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber is expected to draw considerable attention, both from their supporters and those who vocalized dismay about the effects of the blockade of downtown Ottawa streets, including businesses that had to shutter their doors.
On Feb. 14, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would invoke the Emergencies Act in response to the protests. The move granted the government extraordinary powers, including the ability to allow banks to freeze personal and corporate bank accounts without court orders.
Mr. Trudeau described the act’s use at the time as a “last resort,” taken in response to prolonged and disruptive demonstrations against pandemic restrictions.
Under provisions of the Emergencies Act, the federal government was required to call a public inquiry. Justice Paul Rouleau, an Ontario Court of Appeal judge, was appointed its commissioner. Public hearings were held last year, beginning in October.
In February of this year, Justice Rouleau released a report stating that Mr. Trudeau’s invocation of the act in response to the protests was appropriate. However, he said in the report: “I do not come to this conclusion easily, as I do not consider the factual basis for it to be overwhelming.”
Justice Rouleau’s report also documented errors made by police and government officials.
Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber were arrested on Feb. 17, 2022, prior to a major police operation to clear streets in the core of the capital after big rigs remained parked for more than three weeks. The Ottawa Police Service had also called for protesters to leave the area. The City of Ottawa had issued a statement of emergency over the protests on Feb. 6.
Ms. Lich’s role in organizing the convoy included launching an online fundraising campaign through platform GoFundMe, where millions of dollars were collected for the protest. GoFundMe later cancelled the campaign and said it would refund all of the money to donors.
This summer, Ms. Lich held events as part of a book tour after the publication of Hold the Line: My Story from the Heart of the Freedom Convoy. “Hold the line” was a message that Ms. Lich relayed to other protesters and supporters during the protest in the event of her arrest.
Publication promotions describe Ms. Lich as the “woman at the heart of the trucker convoy” who is a “passionate organizer; loving mother and grandmother; proud Métis and proud Albertan; and defiant political prisoner, jailed for daring to criticize the government.”
In the book, Ms. Lich describes her experience during the convoy, including her arrest, and said the inquiry proved “we were a grassroots movement of real Canadians who simply wanted to come to the nation’s capital to be heard.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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