Crown to respond at sentencing hearing for ‘Freedom Convoy' leaders Lich, Barber
OTTAWA — The sentencing hearing for 'Freedom Convoy' leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber continues in Ottawa today, months after the two were found guilty of mischief.
Lich's lawyer Lawrence Greenspon is expected to deliver sentencing submissions during this morning's hearing.
A Crown prosecutor is expected to respond to defence submissions before the judge begins her deliberations.
The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order.
Barber's lawyer Diane Magas said she wants an absolute discharge for her client because he has been on bail for the last three and a half years without incident.
Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief in April for their key roles in the convoy protest, which saw activists fill much of downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
19 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Politics Insider: A week of dampening expectations on trade deal with U.S.
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let's look at what happened this week. President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States may not reach a new trade deal with Canada, suggesting he might instead impose more tariffs on the country unilaterally. As Adrian Morrow reports from Washington, Trump told reporters: 'We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation.' 'We don't have a deal with Canada.' His comments bookended a week where Prime Minister Mark Carney, his minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade and the country's 13 provincial and territorial premiers all signalled that trade talks aren't going smoothly. Carney dampened expectations of a deal by the stated deadline of Aug. 1, saying at a meeting with premiers on Tuesday that Canada 'will not accept a bad deal' just to meet the deadline. The premiers joined that chorus, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford adding 'Donald Trump is very, very hard to deal with.' And Dominic LeBlanc, Carney's point person in trade talks, said Thursday during a visit to Washington for talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: 'We've made progress, but we have a lot of work in front of us.' With the trade deadline just one week away, the rhetoric has become less reassuring. Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Israel to give up control of aid delivery to Gaza as reports grow of mass starvation, saying, 'Canada condemns the Israeli government's failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza.' Provinces push for more power over immigration, work permits The country's 13 premiers said at this week's meeting that they wanted to take more control over immigration, stressing that they plan to use powers under the Constitution to issue work permits. The key legal issues at the heart of the Hockey Canada verdict All five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team who were accused of sexually assaulting a woman after a 2018 Hockey Canada gala were acquitted Thursday in a courtroom in London, Ont. Lawyers explain how the judge arrived at her ruling. Virginia Mearns tapped as Arctic ambassador for Canada Inuk leader Virginia Mearns has been named Canada's Arctic ambassador, with the Prime Minister asking her to represent Canadian interests in a region that's become a strategic frontier as climate change opens new shipping routes through waters rich with natural resources. Algoma Steel seeks up to $600-million in trade-war relief Algoma Steel Group Inc. chief executive Michael Garcia says the Canadian steel maker is in discussions with Ottawa to try to secure a financing package worth more than half a billion dollars as financial pressures mount during a trade war with the United States. One of Algoma's shareholders, Barry Zekelman, said Ottawa is acting 'like a loan shark' in the negotiations. The Huntsville, Ont., resort of Deerhurst played host to the Council of the Federation meeting this week and the first ministers' meeting. Fifteen years ago, that same resort made news when it was the setting for another major meeting. What was it? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. #MeToo changed our culture, but it couldn't change our courts The last thing Canada needs is premiers mucking up immigration even more Lower the voting age? There are better arguments for raising it Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@ Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop. The answer to today's question: The Deerhurst Resort was also the setting for the 2010 Group of Eight summit, hosted by then-prime minister Stephen Harper.
CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Woman wakes to find unknown man in her bed: EPS
Edmonton police have released the composite sketch of a man who fled the scene of a sexual assault in the Aster neighbourhood on May 28, 2025. (Source: EPS) The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is looking for a man who fled the scene of an assault after a woman woke up to find him in her bed. It happened in the Aster neighbourhood in southeast Edmonton at around 7 a.m. on May 28. According to police, the woman immediately left her home after finding the unknown man in her bed. The man was gone when she returned home. EPS released a composite sketch of the suspect and they hope to get help finding the man. Edmonton police release sketch of sexual assault suspect Edmonton police have released the composite sketch of a man who fled the scene of a sexual assault in the Aster neighbourhood on May 28, 2025. (Source: EPS) He is described as: Hispanic or south asian; possibly in his early 20s; clean shaven; and 5'6 to 5'7 tall with a slight build. Police said they believe this is an isolated incident. A canvas of surveillance video in the area was unsuccessful. Anyone with information about the suspect or his whereabouts is asked to contact EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a cell phone. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online.
CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Former City of Ottawa lawyer pleads guilty to defacing National Holocaust Monument
The words 'FEED ME' are seen painted in red on the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS) A former City of Ottawa lawyer has pleaded guilty to a charge of mischief to a war memorial in connection with vandalism to the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. The words 'feed me' were painted on the side of the memorial west of downtown Ottawa on June 9. The paint was quickly removed, but the act prompted widespread condemnation from residents, Jewish groups, and political leaders. Ottawa police charged Iain Aspenlieder on June 27 with mischief to a war memorial, mischief exceeding $5,000, and harassment by threatening conduct. The remaining two charges are being withdrawn. The Crown is consenting to his release on bail pending his sentence. Police did not initially release his name in a news release announcing his arrest, but he was identified in court documents. According to the Ontario Salary Disclosure list, Aspenlieder was a 'Legal Counsel' with the City of Ottawa. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in late June that Aspenlieder had been fired. 'The city's legal department has confirmed that the individual charged, who was on leave at the time of the incident, is no longer employed by the City of Ottawa,' Sutcliffe said on social media. The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa commemorates the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The monument was inaugurated by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in September 2017. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Joshua Marano
