From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

“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

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer condemned the 25-month-long trial of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber as ‘political persecution’ for making Justin Trudeau ‘look bad.’

Conservative Member of Parliament Jeremy Patzer has condemned the Freedom Convoy leaders’ trial as “political persecution.”

In an October 7 post on X, Patzer reacted to the sentencing of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, noting that while the two avoided jail time, the Liberal government dragged them through years of legal battles as its own form of punishment.

“Glad to hear that jail time was averted, although this sentencing is still a reach,” he commented. “This case was nothing more than political persecution. Chris and Tamara created a situation that made Justin Trudeau look bad, and they paid the price.”

Glad to hear that jail time was averted, although this sentencing is still a reach.

This case was nothing more than political persecution. Chris and Tamara created a situation that made Justin Trudeau look bad, and they paid the price.

As of early June, the federal government… pic.twitter.com/1decbyrjYz

— Jeremy Patzer (@jeremy_patzer) October 7, 2025

Legal battles for Barber and Lich, organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy which protested COVID mandates, began in September 2023. The trial spanned 45 days of hearings over about 13 months, ending September 2024.

In April 2025, the pair were found guilty of “mischief.” Then began the three-month-long sentencing process from July 2025 to October 2025. Yesterday, Barber and Lich were sentenced to 18 months of house arrest, along with a curfew and 100 hours of community service.

In total, their legal process lasted over 25 months and cost Canadian taxpayers over $21 million dollars.

Patzer argued that “whether or not you agreed with Chris and Tamara, this is wrong. There is no excuse for these proceedings to have been dragged out this long over mischief.”

Indeed, while they did not receive jail time, Barber and Lich’s lengthy legal battles may discourage other Canadians from publicly opposing the Liberal government. Patzer argued that this is just what Liberals intended.

“When the government takes you to court, it is the process, not the penalty, that breaks you,” he said. “The goal of this whole farce was to break Chris and Tamara with the full institutional weight of the Crown because of Justin Trudeau’s political emergency.”

Despite the peaceful nature of the Freedom Convoy, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act (EA) to clear out protesters, an action a federal judge has since said was “not justified.” During the clear-out, an elderly lady was trampled by a police horse, and many who donated to the cause had their bank accounts frozen.

As reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, a federal audit did not mention the false claims the government made against the Freedom Convoy, which were used to allow Trudeau to impose the EA to clear out the protesters.

Indeed, in 2023, as reported by LifeSiteNews, disclosed records showed that Canada’s Department of Public Safety fabricated a security bulletin that claimed the Freedom Convoy protesters had plundered federal office buildings in an apparent attempt to discredit the movement.

Despite enduring years of legal battles, Lich’s comments on social media have revealed that her spirit is far from broken.

“Thy will, not my will, be done,” she wrote in an October 7 post on X, before receiving her sentencing. “Trust His plan.”

“No matter what happens today, as Chris Barber told the truckers over the cb radio on our trip out a few years ago, ‘We’ve already won, guys,’” she continued.