Oh, Canada's hypocrisy! ‘Freedom Convoy' protesters face ludicrous prison sentences for mere ‘mischief'
In a sentencing hearing earlier this week, the Canadian government sought a ludicrous eight-year sentence for Chris Barber, one of the leaders of the Covid 'Freedom Convoy' protest that riled Ottawa in early 2022. For another leader, Tamara Lich, the Crown asked for an outlandish seven years.
In April, a court ruled that Barbers and Lich were not guilty of obstructing police or intimidation during the demonstrations. But they were convicted of 'mischief' — in part because the truckers in the 40-mile convoy honked their horns to protest some of the most oppressive Covid mandates in the world.
Advertisement
4 Canada's truck drivers protested a vaccine mandate in early 2022.
REUTERS
Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher justified the harsh prison sentences saying 'it's difficult to imagine an offense of mischief with greater impact.'
Ironically, that was the same way that many truckers felt about the Canadian government's Covid mandates. And now Canadian prosecutors are hounding the former protestors, pretending that a Canadian judge did not raze their entire legal house of cards a year ago.
From the start of the pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted as if Covid entitled him to absolute power. Anyone who refused to get the approved Covid vaccines was castigated as a public enemy.
Advertisement
4 Tamara Lich was one of the leaders of the 'Freedom Convoy.'
REUTERS
Trudeau responded to the trucker protest by invoking the Emergencies Act, effectively dropping a legal nuclear bomb on his opponents. Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the government was 'broadening the scope of Canada's … terrorist-financing rules so that they cover Crowd Funding Platforms and the payment service providers they use.'
The Trudeau government did not formally redefine horn-honking as a terrorist offense but that didn't impede their crackdown. Banks were authorized to freeze the personal accounts of anyone suspected of donating to the truckers.
The Covid vaccines were catastrophically failing to prevent infections at the same time Trudeau dropped an iron fist on anti-vax protestors. Almost 90% of Canadian adults had been vaccinated by the start of 2022 as Covid cases were soaring, setting records almost every week. Even though he was vaxxed and boosted, Trudeau himself came down with Covid during the trucker protest.
Advertisement
4 At the end of July, Lich attended a sentencing hearing for her role in the protests. The Crown asked that she be sentenced to seven years.
REUTERS
Trudeau pretended that no Canadian had a right not to get injected because he personally proclaimed that the Covid vaccine was safe. But the rushed approval process ignored potential adverse side effects. (The Food and Drug Administration now requires formal warnings about Covid vaccine risks of pericarditis — stabbing chest pains — and myocarditis.)
In January 2024, Canadian federal judge Richard Mosley ruled that Trudeau's use of the Emergencies Act had been unreasonable, illegal and unconstitutional. Trudeau's regulations 'criminalized the attendance of every single person at those protests regardless of their actions.' The judge slammed 'the absence of any objective standard' for freezing bank accounts, but the court decision provided no relief for any of the victims whose bank accounts were unjustifiably seized or whose freedom and privacy was shredded.
America saw similar absolute immunity for politicians who fueled fear and fabricated emergencies to seize absolute power, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's disastrous decree forcing nursing homes to accept Covid patients, President Joe Biden's illegal vaccine mandate for large private companies and Covid Czar Tony Fauci's presidential pardon for sending U.S. tax dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology that killed 7 million people worldwide.
Advertisement
4 The Canadian government sought an 8-year sentence for Chris Barber (center).
AP
The persecution of trucker protestors is a stark reminder of the two-class system that permeated the pandemic in Canada and the U.S. There were no true 'lockdowns.' Instead, the laptop class and officialdom stayed home and enjoyed full salary, while the comparatively downtrodden delivered their groceries, fancy meals, and endless knick-knacks from Amazon.
But all those doorstep deliveries were forgotten when the Canadian political and media elite teamed up to vilify any citizen who didn't submit to official commands. All the judicial precedents established since THE Magna Charta CARTA? were practically expunged by a ruling class that justified even Quebec's idiotic Covid decree prohibiting people from leaving their homes at night
Perhaps the best punishment for the two Canadian trucker protest leaders would be to televise them standing in front of a blackboard where they write a hundred times: 'I'm sorry I objected to tyranny.' An even more apt punishment would be to compel all the Canadian politicians and officials who enforced oppressive Covid policies to wear ashes, sackcloth, and a sign: 'I'm sorry for my tyranny.'
Is a little 'mischief' the only way to get politicians to heed a Constitution?
James Bovard is the author of 11 books, including 'Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
18 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
State Department May Require U.S. Visa Applicants to Post Thousands of Dollars in Bonds
Travelling to the U.S. is becoming not only more cumbersome, but also more costly, under the second Trump Administration. On top of a slew of charges it already intends to levy on U.S. visitors, the State Department plans to roll out a year-long visa bond pilot program which will require certain business and tourist visa applicants to post bonds of up to $15,000 as a condition of the visa issuance. [time-brightcove not-tgx='true'] The visa bond program is a revival of a program from the first Trump Administration, which required nationalities from 23 different countries—most of which are in Africa—to post similar bonds. That program, announced in late 2020, had a six-month timeline but the department did not fully implement it because the COVID-19 pandemic caused an international travel slowdown, according to a government notice on the Federal Register Tuesday. The second Trump Administration's visa bond pilot program is set to take effect on Aug. 20. It's intended 'to protect America's borders and the American people by holding foreign visitors accountable for departing the United States on time,' according to a cable that The Washington Post obtained which bore the signature of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Read More: What to Know About New Social Media Screening Rules for Student Visas It's the latest tightening of visa application measures, as part of the Administration's strict immigration agenda. In late July, the State Department announced that it will require almost all nonimmigrant visa applicants to attend in-person interviews. Here's what to know about the visa bond program: Which travellers have to post visa bonds? The notice did not specifically mention particular countries. But it said that the department will announce the countries via the website no less than 15 days before the program takes effect with a 'brief explanation of the basis for requiring bonds.' The department also stipulated that the list of countries may be amended throughout the pilot. The countries 'will be identified based on high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations,' a State Department spokesperson is quoted as telling Reuters. The notice said it will determine the countries with the highest overstay rates based on a 2023 Department of Homeland Security report. Several countries in Africa, as well as Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and Yemen recorded the highest overstay rates for those visiting for business or tourism, per that report. Many of the countries with those high overstay rates also are part of Trump's travel ban. Citizens of the 42 countries and territories enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program would not have to post a bond. The VWP enables travel to the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without the need for a visa. The State Department has estimated that the number of visa applicants that fall under the pilot program will hover around 2,000 for the whole 12 months, according to the notice. The department said it 'expects the parameters of, and the countries included in, the Pilot Program to be limited due to the number of aliens expected to be found otherwise qualified for visas, and uncertainty as to the number of aliens who will choose to post a visa bond.' Read More: Why the Trump Administration Is Pausing New Student Visa Interviews at Embassies Across the World How big is the visa bond? The size of the bond is up to a consular officer's discretion, according to the notice, and may vary from case to case. Covered visa applicants will be required to post a bond of up to $15,000, but the State Department gave consular officers three options for bond amounts: $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000. Consular officers can determine the exact amount of the bond 'based upon the applicant's circumstances.' The payment amounts have been determined after consultations with the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The bond is payable under the following conditions: the traveler violates the condition of their visa status; the traveler files an 'unexcused untimely' application for change of status or extension of their lawful admission or the traveler stays in the U.S. after the period of admission expires. It's also deemed payable if the traveler timely and properly files an application for change of status or extension of their lawful temporary stay but does not leave the U.S. within 10 days after such request was denied. Meanwhile, the bond should be canceled when there has been 'substantial performance of all conditions imposed by the terms of the bond.'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
The Mamdani effect: Will far-left challenger top Dem incumbent mayor in Seattle's primary?
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, a Democrat, was cruising towards re-election earlier this year in the heavily blue city in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to become Seattle's first mayor to win re-election in two decades. However, Harrell's path to securing a second term became much steeper after longtime progressive organizer Katie Wilson jumped into the race in March. Wilson, who political pundits have compared to New York City's Zohran Mamdani, soon became the frontrunner among the mayor's many challengers. Tuesday's primary will whittle the current nine-candidate field down to two for November's general election. "My re-election is supported by 100+ current and former elected officials, labor, as well as affordable housing, environmental, community, and transportation leaders," Harrell wrote on social media last week. "I'm proud of the broad and diverse coalition we've built to keep Seattle moving forward." Harrell was elected in 2021, as Seattle was starting to recover from the COVID pandemic and the violent protests and riots that rocked the city following the murder of George Floyd. He has worked during his tenure as mayor to improve public safety, tackle homelessness and help struggling businesses recover. The mayor has highlighted the decrease in citywide crime since he took office. However, Wilson, a transit activist and co-founder of the Transit Riders Union, has criticized Harrell, arguing that he's focused more on dismantling homeless encampments than boosting shelters. Wilson claims that Harrell, who served three terms on the city council before winning election as mayor, is part of the political status quo that has allowed the city's cost of living to skyrocket. Similar to democratic socialist Mamdani, who rocked the nation's political world by topping former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates in late June to win New York City's Democratic Party mayoral primary, Wilson is spotlighting affordability. "Housing costs have doubled since Bruce Harrell first took office," she highlights in a social media post. However, unlike Mamdani, Wilson does not identify as a democratic socialist. Wilson has stayed competitive with the incumbent mayor in the battle for campaign cash. The most recent polling in the race indicated a close contest between Harrell and Wilson, with former T-Mobile executive and 2009 mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan a very distant third. Ry Armstrong, an actor and environmental nonprofit executive director who is running a progressive campaign, and five other candidates on the ballot, barely registered in recent polling.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
An order arrest Texas Democrats
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Team Diet Coke or Team Coke Zero? Texas governor promises arrest of lawmakers who fled Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered Texas law enforcement to arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a vote on redistricting that could give Republicans several more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. More than 50 state Democratic lawmakers fled Aug. 3 in the political power struggle. Many went to the Chicago area, where Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker greeted them. Others went to Boston, Massachusetts, and Albany, New York. An in-flight mayday isn't as scary as it sounds It means the system is working. When a United Airlines flight issued a mayday call shortly after departure, passengers onboard were doubtlessly scared. One of the Boeing 787's engines had failed, and the plane was forced to return to Washington Dulles International Airport, rather than continuing over the Atlantic to Munich, where it was bound. The plane landed safely, and no injuries were reported — a testament to effective pilot training and the overall safety of air travel. If you're headed to the airport today, take a breath and don't be too concerned. As the adage goes, you're much more likely to get injured on your drive to the airport than you are in the sky. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Canadian wildfires prompt air quality warnings for Midwest, Northeast "Milky gray" skies could remain for days as weak winds leave wildfire smoke to linger over the northern U.S. Stronger winds aren't expected to blow the smoke until Aug. 6 or 7 for the Midwest, forecasters told USA TODAY, and conditions in the Northeast will likely improve by the end of the week. The blazes have catapulted major American and Canadian cities into the most polluted places in the world, with Detroit, Minneapolis, and Toronto among the top 11 most polluted cities in the world as of Monday evening. Know the side effects of inhaling wildfire smoke. When does your body really start aging? A new study suggests aging may begin sooner than you think. By looking at tissues taken from organs throughout the body, including the heart, liver, pancreas, spleen, lung, skin and muscles, researchers in a new study determined that aging starts to accelerate from 45 to 55. The study's findings could have a lot of implications in future research into treatments for chronic conditions related to aging that would not only add decades to patients' lifespan, but also their health span, which is the period of a person's life spent in good health, authors said. The study also shows the small window older adults have to change their aging trajectory. Today's talkers Texas is at the front of college football for the first time Texas will open at No. 1 for the first time in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Longhorns, projected among the early favorites in the crowded SEC, were voted first by 28 of the 67 panelists in this year's poll. They'll get an immediate challenge to that lofty perch, however, as their Week 1 opponent, defending champion Ohio State, will start off at No. 2. This season opener is unprecedented in the poll, and the hype leading up to the clash in Columbus will be, too. Photo of the day: Trump relishes paved-over Rose Garden President Trump claims he's hearing "great reviews" about his controversial overhaul of the White House Rose Garden — which has turned the garden's famous lawn into a stone patio. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
