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7/20/2025|Updated: 7/20/2025
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Crown prosecutors are seeking significantly longer prison sentences for Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber than had previously been indicated, according to a post by Lich on social media.
Lich and Barber said in April that prosecutors were seeking two-year sentences for them. On the morning of July 19, Lich posted on X saying that Crown lawyers had submitted documents to her and Barber’s legal teams ahead of their upcoming sentencing hearing, scheduled to take place in Ottawa on July 23.
“They are seeking a 7 year prison sentence for myself and 8 years for [Barber],” she wrote.
Lich said she had not seen the documents but would provide more details once she received them. Barber did not comment on X but responded by reposting Lich’s post.
The Epoch Times reached out to the office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada but did not immediately hear back.
Lich and Barber were two of the chief organizers of the Freedom Convoy, a protest that began in late January 2022 in response to the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate and eventually evolved into a broader movement calling for an end to various pandemic measures. The protest saw hundreds of vehicles parked in downtown Ottawa for nearly three weeks, with similar convoy-style protests emerging across Canada at the same time.
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The federal government responded by invoking the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022, bringing the demonstration to an end and giving law enforcement expanded powers to arrest demonstrators and freeze bank accounts of individuals involved in the protest. Lich and Barber were arrested on Feb. 17, a day before police began their expanded action to end the protest in Ottawa.
While the pair’s criminal trial, which began on Sept. 5, 2023, was initially scheduled to last just 16 days, a series of delays and complex legal arguments stretched it to over a year.
Conservative MP Dean Allison took aim at the federal government, saying that it “treats actual real criminals better than this,” referring to Lich and Barber.
“Steal a car, no problem, home invasions, no problem, murder a grandmother no problem, exploit children, no problem,” he wrote on X on July 20.
The federal government typically refrains from commenting on judicial proceedings. However, the Tories have criticized the Liberal government for not implementing changes to the Criminal Code to ensure tougher bail requirements and heavier sentences for those involved in violent crimes. The Liberals say they will table legislation soon to toughen bail laws.
Verdict
Lich and Barber faced charges of mischief, counselling mischief, intimidation, obstructing police, and counselling others to do the same. Barber also faced a charge of counselling others in a TikTok video to disobey a court order. In the video, posted following a court injunction against honking horns, he encouraged protesters to honk if they saw police approaching their trucks.
In the ruling released on April 3, 2025, both were found guilty of mischief, while Barber was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order. Justice Heather Perkins-McVey of the Ontario Court of Justice dismissed the other charges, citing insufficient evidence. The charges of counselling others to commit mischief were also stayed at the request of the Crown.
Twelve days later, on April 15, Barber said on Facebook that the Crown prosecutor was seeking a penitentiary sentence for him and Lich, which would involve two years of imprisonment. He also stated that the Crown intended to either “seize” or auction off his truck, “Big Red,” which he said had led part of the convoy from Saskatchewan to Ottawa in January 2022.
Lich confirmed in a social media post later the same day that the Crown was seeking two years’ prison time for the two organizers and that it had filed an application to confiscate Barber’s truck.
The Epoch Times sought comment from the Crown prosecutor’s office at the time but did not hear back by publication time.
Stay of Proceedings
On April 16, Barber’s defence lawyer Diane Magas filed an application in the Ontario Court of Justice for a stay of proceedings on the basis of an “officially induced error of law.” Magas argued that her client had received erroneous advice about the legality of the protest from his former lawyers as well as police officers and a Superior Court judge.
In the application, Magas said Insp. Russell Lucas, incident commander with the Ottawa Police Services (OPS) during the Freedom Convoy protest, had testified that OPS was aware of the protest in advance of the protesters’ arrival and had approved and endorsed the plan for where the demonstrators would park in downtown Ottawa.
“[Police liaison] officers and truckers were provided maps as to where to park, which included parking on Wellington Street,” the application noted. “[Barber] will testify that he was directed by police officers to park his truck (Big Red) on Wellington Street.”
Magas added that following two injunction hearings, held on Feb. 7 and Feb. 16, 2022, related to stopping the honking of truck horns, Barber was told by his lawyer at the time that “the Judge confirmed that they could continue to protest as long as they continued to protest peacefully and safely.”
The application also stated that Barber was advised by the same lawyer that he could honk his horn in situations of emergency, and should there be a breach of the order against honking, it would amount to civil contempt and not a criminal offence.
‘Denied’
Crown prosecutors responded to Magas’s application on May 16, arguing that there is no evidence Barber considered the legality of his actions during the protest.
The prosecutors said not one police officer or government official in Barber’s trial testified they were asked by him for advice regarding his actions—such as parking his truck on Wellington Street—among other actions.
The Crown added that Barber did not seek advice directly from the Superior Court judge but instead relied on his former lawyer to do so. They argued that the lawyer only raised issues related to the honking of horns and did not raise questions concerning Charter rights or the Criminal Code in relation to the broader protest. The prosecutors also contended that the lawyer “is not an appropriate state official and cannot be used as a vessel for advice from a Superior Court Judge.”
On July 17, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms issued an update on the case saying that Magas’s stay of proceedings application “has been denied.”
“This means the upcoming hearing will focus on Chris Barber’s sentencing,” said the Justice Centre.
The centre is also providing legal support in a separate action where two Ottawa residents, a restaurant, and a local union commenced a $290 million class-action lawsuit against Barber, Lich, and other Freedom Convoy participants in February 2022.
Matthew Horwood contributed to this report
Source: Epoch Times
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