Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber sentenced to 12 months house arrest

OTTAWA — Prominent Freedom Convoy organizers Chris Barber and Tamara Lich were sentenced to 12 months of house arrest and six months of curfew Tuesday, avoiding jail time for their roles in the 2022 blockade that the federal government declared a national emergency.

“The accused committed a serious crime of mischief,” Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey told a packed downtown Ottawa courtroom.

“The accused’s actions have had a significant detrimental effect on the citizens of Ottawa, who wanted nothing other than to carry on living in their community without having horns honking day and night, the roads impassable, blocked by noising trucks emitting diesel fumes, making it impossible at times to even exit their own building.”

Barber and Lich’s 18 month conditional sentences begin with 12 months of house arrest followed by six months of curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. They must also conduct 100 hours of community service.

In both cases, the accused can leave their homes under certain conditions, including to go to work or visit certain family members.

Having already spent the equivalent of just over 70 days in jail, Lich’s time under curfew will only be three and a half months instead of the full six.

With her decision, Perkins-McVey rejected both sentencing submissions by the Crown for an “unprecedented” seven-year prison term for Lich and eight years for Barber and by the defence for an unconditional discharge.

Earlier this year, Perkins-McVey ruled Lich and Barber were guilty of mischief for their role in organizing the three-week protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa in February 2022, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended when the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to give police officers extraordinary powers to seize the protesters’ property and clear streets. 

Barber was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order: an injunction barring blockading trucks from honking continuously at all times of day.

Lich and Barber sat impassively in the front row of the courtroom, flanked and backed by dozens of supporters. At their feet, KaBoom —  a beige retired racing Greyhound now working as a court therapy dog — lazed quietly as the judge read her decision.

Lich and Barber were key organizers of the polarizing anti-government protests that blockaded downtown Ottawa around Parliament Hill. Perkins-McVey described Lich as the “face of the convoy” and Barber as a “rock star” for the movement.

As a testament to their popularity within the movement, supporters in the courtroom swarmed and applauded Lich and Barber after sentencing hearing was adjourned.

On Tuesday, Perkins-McVey noted that both parties could not be further apart in their sentencing requests, describing it as an illustration of the political schism in the Canadian political landscape.

“Politics, though, has no place inside this courtroom and plays no role in the determination of what is a fair, just and appropriate sentence,” she said.

In addition to the stiff prison terms, prosecutors requested an order to seize Barber’s truck, a 2004 Kenworth long-haul truck nicknamed “Big Red,” which he brought to Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy.

Perkins-McVey described the Crown’s request as “extraordinary” and “unprecedented.”

The Crown’s request sparked much controversy in Ottawa and beyond , with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre calling the submission “political vengeance.”

Lich’s and Barber’s lawyers requested an absolute discharge, meaning they would not receive a criminal record.

“Tamara Lich, Chris Barber stood up for what they believed in and what many, many people — thousands of people across the country were not capable of standing up (for). And those people were inspired,” Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon told reporters in July.

Perkins-McVey reiterated Tuesday that the Freedom Convoy led by both accused had significant negative impacts on both residents and businesses in downtown Ottawa.

“The downtown core was in essence held hostage,” the judge said. “The Freedom Convoy in Ottawa involved thousands of protesters and hundreds of trucks.”

But she also noted that Lich and Barber have already faced “significant and relevant” consequences resulting from the criminal proceedings.

She noted Barber had his bank accounts frozen for months following the Freedom Convoy and currently faces a $9 million civil lawsuit for his role in the blockade. Furthermore, a criminal conviction would “jeopardize” his cross-border trucking business.

Lich, she said, has already “served 49 days in jail, endured strict bail conditions and faced public vilification.”

The judge said the decision on the order to seize Barber’s truck would come in November.

Before the hearing, dozens of Lich’s and Barber’s supporters crowded in front of the building to voice their support for the two Convoy organizers. Ottawa Police arrested at least one individual among the crowd before the beginning of the hearing.

More to come .

National Post

cnardi@postmedia.com

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