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Canadian commentators call Freedom Convoy leaders’ sentences ‘onerous,’ ‘too stiff’
From LifeSiteNews
“The understandable reaction is going to be ‘Well, the crown was asking for much more, so this is actually a victory. Bullsh*t. Having to tolerate injustice and rationalize it as being acceptable because it’s less of an injustice than what could’ve been is bullsh*t”
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.
Interestingly, Perkins-McVey said during Tuesday’s sentencing, “They came with the noblest of intent and did not advocate for violence,” Perkins-McVey said of Lich and Barber.
Political commentator Rupa Subramanya was pleased with the overall outcome.
“So no jail time for @LichTamara and @ChrisBarber1975. House arrest, curfew, and time in the community for both. Good outcome. Finally, they can put this chapter behind them. And everyone can move on. It’s been a long 3 years!”
Brian Lilley, a political commentator for the Toronto Sun, called the overall sentence “too stiff.”
“Lich & Barber both given 18-month conditional sentences with house arrest, with carve-outs, for their mischief convictions related to the Freedom Convoy. Too stiff in my view based on the facts, but better than what other judges would have given,” he wrote on x.
Well-known Canadian celebrity and commentator Brett Wilson observed while the sentence could have been worse, Lich and Barber should have had “nothing” as punishment, saying instead that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be the one penalized.
“Delighted with the overall Freedom Convoy sentence being JUST house arrest. Not jail,” he wrote on X.
“Trudeau should be sharing a matching penalty. And I wish the sentence were nothing. But here we are. The Crown Sentence request was absolute bullsh*t.”
Canadians should not accept house arrest verdict as ‘victory,’ warns commentator
Well-known online commentator Viva Frei was not as gracious with Lich and Barber’s verdict, saying “having to tolerate injustice and rationalize it as being acceptable” is like the “boiling frog analogy.”
“The understandable reaction is going to be ‘Well, the crown was asking for much more, so this is actually a victory. Bullsh*t. Having to tolerate injustice and rationalize it as being acceptable because it’s less of an injustice than what could’ve been is bullshit,” he wrote on X.
“It’s the boiling frog analogy. You tolerate injustice, you rationalize injustice, you will get more injustice.”
Frei doubled down, calling the sentence “absolute judicial horsesh**,” noting how saying,
“it could’ve been worse” will pretty “much always be true.”
“Call it out for what it is. This sentence is an absolute outrageous injustice. The sentence should have been time served, with an apology from the judge,” he wrote.
“The entire system in Canada is fu**ed beyond belief. Possibly fu**ed beyond repair.”
Specifically, Barber was handed an 18-month conditional sentence, with a concurrent three-month sentence for counseling disobedience of a court order, that can be served in the community.
Lich was given 18 months less time, taking into account the time already spent in custody, which amounts to 15 1/2 months.
Both Lich and Barber must remain in their house for the first 12 months except for medical emergencies and certain appointments. They are allowed to work and can leave their house for certain permitted activities for up to five hours once a week. They were also given a curfew and 100 hours of community service.
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, Trudeau’s government enacted the never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.
From LifeSiteNews
The Crown’s appeal claims the judge made a mistake in her verdict on the intimidation charges, and also in how she treated aggravating and mitigating factors regarding sentencing.
Government lawyers for the Crown have filed an appeal the acquittals of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on intimidation charges.
The Crown also wants their recent 18-month conditional sentence on mischief charges replaced with harsher penalties, which could include possible jail time.
According to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), it is “asking the Ontario Court of Appeal to enter a conviction on the intimidation charge or order a new trial on that count,” for Barber’s charges.
Specifically, the Crown’s appeal claims that the judge made a mistake in her verdict on the intimidation charges, and also in how she treated aggravating and mitigating factors regarding sentencing.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, both Lich and Barber have filed appeals of their own against their house arrest sentences, arguing that the trial judge did not correctly apply the law on their mischief charges.
Barber’s lawyer, Diane Magas, said that her client “relied in good faith on police and court direction during the protest. The principles of fairness and justice require that citizens not be punished for following the advice of authorities. We look forward to presenting our arguments before the Court.”
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 of “mischief.”
Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.
Lich and Barber were declared guilty of mischief for their roles as leaders of the protest against COVID mandates in April 2022, and as social media influencers. The conviction came after a nearly two-year trial despite the non-violent nature of the popular movement.
The Lich and Barber trial concluded in September 2024, more than a year after it began. It was originally scheduled to last 16 days.
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.
LifeSiteNews recently reported that Lich detailed her restrictive house arrest conditions, revealing she is “not” able to leave her house or even pick up her grandchildren from school without permission from the state.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent house arrest verdict, said she has no “remorse” and will not “apologize” for leading a movement that demanded an end to all COVID mandates.
From LifeSiteNews
Lawyers will argue that there is no evidence linking Tamara Lich ‘to the misdeeds of others.’
Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich said she will appeal her recent mischief conviction in an Ontario court, with her lawyers saying “there was no evidence linking her to the misdeeds of others.”
In a press release late yesterday, Lich’s legal team, headed by Lawrence Greenspon, Eric Granger, and Hannah Drennan, made the announcement.
“Lawyers for Tamara Lich filed Notice of Appeal in the Ontario Court of Appeal of the conviction for mischief arising out of the Freedom Convoy,” the release stated.
Lich’s legal team noted that there are two reasons for the principal grounds of appeal.
“While there was substantial evidence that Tamara encouraged the protesters to be peaceful, lawful and safe, there was no evidence linking her to the misdeeds of others,” they said.
The second reason for the appeal, according to Lich’s lawyers, is that the “trial judge failed to give effect to the principle that communication that would otherwise be mischief is protected by section 2(b) of the Charter, freedom of expression.”
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 of “mischief.”
Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.
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.
Interestingly, Perkins-McVey said about Lich and Barber during the sentencing, “They came with the noblest of intent and did not advocate for violence.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent sentencing of over a year’s house arrest for her role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy, laid bare the fact that when all is said in done, seven years of her life will have been spent in a government-imposed “lockdown” in one form or another.
LifeSiteNews recently reported that Lich detailed her restrictive house arrest conditions, revealing she is “not” able to leave her house or even pick up her grandkids from school without permission from the state.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent house arrest verdict, said she has no “remorse” and will not “apologize” for leading a movement that demanded an end to all COVID mandates.
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Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich to appeal her recent conviction