Latest news with #mischief
CBC
12 minutes ago
- Politics
- CBC
Crown seeking 8 years for convoy leader Chris Barber, 7 for Tamara Lich
Social Sharing The Crown says it's seeking an extraordinary sentence for an unprecedented crime, as court began hearing sentencing submissions Wednesday in the mischief case of Ottawa truck convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher asked Justice Heather Perkins-McVey to impose a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber. But Barber's lawyer called that "cruel and unusual punishment." Instead, she argued her client should walk free with an absolute discharge. Barber was found guilty in April of mischief and counselling others to disobey a court order, while Lich was convicted of mischief alone. Wetscher admitted the sentences she's asking for are at the upper end of the range — the Criminal Code sets a maximum of 10 years for mischief — but she argued that they're justified. "It's not a sentence that is being sought lightly, but one that the Crown believes is proportional," Wetscher said. Wetscher said the pair played prominent leadership roles in the weeks-long occupation that took over downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks in early 2022. She said the Crown isn't seeking to punish them for their political beliefs, but for crossing the line into "sustained criminality" that paralyzed the city and flouted the law. "The Crown acknowledges that it's seeking an extraordinary sentence in this case," she said. "However, Mr. Barber and Ms. Lich are criminally responsible for extraordinary harm and profound impact to the public." She quoted from witness impact statements from residents and business owners who endured the protest, leaving them with hefty financial losses and lasting psychological scars. "It's difficult to imagine an offence of mischief with greater impact," Wetscher said. 8 years an 'abusive' sentence: Barber's lawyer But Barber's lawyer Diane Magus argued that examples of such offences are easy to find. She came armed with precedents, citing serious mischief cases that resulted in sentences far more lenient than what the Crown is seeking for Lich and Barber. She mentioned Pat King, who was convicted for his role in the same protest but received a three-month conditional sentence, plus nine-months' credit for time served. Wetscher argued that King was a less influential figure among the Ottawa protesters compared to Lich and Barber. But Magus cited still other cases. She brought up the "Black Bloc" protesters at the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto. They caused extensive property damage, including upending police cars and smashing storefronts, but received comparatively light sentences of under two years. Magus said the fear and intimidation those protesters caused was "much more severe than in this case." She said her client should get an absolute discharge, which would allow him to walk free without any jail term or criminal record. "The sentence sought was excessive, abusive and would amount to cruel and unusual punishment," she said of the Crown submission. At the very least, she said Barber should be able to serve a conditional sentence in the community, not in prison. Magus quoted from character letters that described Barber as a pillar of his community in Swift Current, Sask., a responsible business owner with strong family ties. She said a criminal record will mean a big hit to his trucking business, since it will make it difficult for him to cross the border into the United States. She said there are also mitigating factors in how Barber handled the protest, such as his willingness to work with police to move some trucks from residential areas to Wellington Street. Perkins-McVey agreed that was a mitigating factor, though she noted that it only limited the protest, without ending it.
National Post
4 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Who are Freedom Convoy protest leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, found guilty on mischief charges?
On Wednesday a sentencing hearing began for Freedom Convoy protest leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, after the two were found guilty of mischief. Here's what to know about them, and what happens next. Article content Who are Tamara Lich and Chris Barber? Article content Article content Lich and Barber were key figures behind the convoy protest, sometimes referred to as the Freedom Convoy, that occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022. The protests followed the end of vaccine mandate exemptions for cross-border truckers. Protesters called for the repeal of all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. Both are from Saskatchewan. Lich had previously been involved with Canada's Yellow Vest protests in Medicine Hat, Alta., and elsewhere, and the United We Roll truckers convoy and protest in Ottawa in 2019, which was in favour of pipelines and against carbon taxes. Barber is a trucker and owns his own company, CB Trucking Limited, based in Swift Current, Sask. Article content When were they arrested? Article content Article content Lich and Barber were arrested in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022, shortly after the government of Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever, bringing an end to the protest. (Last year, a Federal Court judge ruled that the response was unconstitutional and unjustifiable.) The convoy was cleared out of Ottawa's downtown core in a three-day police operation that began on Feb. 18. Article content At first, Lich was charged with counselling to commit mischief, and Barber with counselling to commit mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, counselling to obstruct police, and mischief that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property. Article content However, a month after their arrest the Crown submitted a relaid information sheet from Ottawa police, and the two were jointly accused of mischief, counselling mischief, obstructing police, counselling to obstruct police, counselling intimidation, and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more highways. Article content Article content Were they found guilty? Article content Article content On April 3, 2025, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey found both Lich and Barber guilty of mischief because the court ruled they routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, despite knowing the negative effects it was having on downtown residents and businesses. Article content Barber also was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order for telling people to ignore a judge's injunction directing convoy participants to stop honking their truck horns. (Lich was not charged with that offence.) Article content They were both acquitted of intimidation and counselling intimidation, with the judge noting that their repeated calls to remain peaceful meant there was no menace or violence intended. They were also acquitted of obstructing police and counselling to obstruct police. Article content The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber. Two days have been set aside for the parties to present their sentencing submissions. Article content What did Pierre Poilievre say about this? Article content Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has posted and shared several posts on social media criticizing the Crown's sentencing proposals. In one post on X on Monday he said: 'Let's get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges & antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares & block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants 7 years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich & Barber. How is this justice?'
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Sentencing begins for two ‘Freedom Convoy' leaders months after they were found guilty of mischief
Sentencing begins for two 'Freedom Convoy' leaders months after they were found guilty of mischief Sentencing begins for two 'Freedom Convoy' leaders months after they were found guilty of mischief.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poilievre, Conservative MPs criticize Crown ahead of Freedom Convoy leaders' sentencing
Several Conservative MPs and leader Pierre Poilievre are criticizing the Crown's approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the Freedom Convoy protests, with the party's deputy leader calling it an act of "political vengeance." Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill in Ottawa for more than three weeks in early 2022. Barber was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order. They were found not guilty of several charges, including counselling others to commit mischief. A sentencing hearing for Barber and Lich is scheduled to take place in Ottawa on Wednesday. Lich has posted on social media that the Crown is seeking a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Barber. She posted a screen shot of part of the Crown's submission to the judge, which called their actions "the worst case of mischief" and argued that the right to political expression has never existed without limitations. The Canadian Press has not independently verified the screen shot. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X on Monday to question the Crown's approach. "Let's get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges and antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares and block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants seven years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich and Barber," he said. "How is this justice?" In her own social media post, deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman said that if "the Crown suddenly wants to apply the law — equal application of law would be a good start — but this is political vengeance not actual justice and it's why trust in our institutions is dwindling." Ontario Conservative MP Andrew Lawton called the proposed sentencing range "excessive and vindictive." "The Crown is seeking a seven-year sentence (eight for Chris) for a three-week peaceful protest almost 3½ years ago. All while violent offenders are given slaps on the wrist," Lawton said. Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer described the proposed sentence as seven to eight years "for holding the line and causing Justin Trudeau a political emergency." He compared it to a case in which a man was given a conditional discharge for trying to buy sex from someone he believed was 15 years old. "It is pretty clear what the Liberals' priorities are. Conservatives are the only ones proposing to fix our laws so that the real criminals end up behind bars," Patzer said. A spokesperson from Poilievre's office said in a statement that MPs "are raising concerns because the sentencing sought by the Crown in this particular case appears completely disproportionate, particularly when compared to violent criminals who have gotten away with a mere slap on the wrist." The Conservatives ran on a tough-on-crime platform in the April election. Poilievre promised "jail not bail" for repeat offenders and pledged to legislate life sentences for some human trafficking and drug offences — promises that constitutional experts said would almost certainly be struck down by the courts. Monday's social media posts came after a number of prominent right-wing social media influencers and personalities called out Poilievre and his MPs over their alleged lack of support for Lich and Barber. 'Dangerous' for MPs to weigh in on prosecution, expert says Lich and Barber have been greeted by vocal supporters at each of their court appearances and Lich's post had thousands of likes and comments on Monday. Michael Spratt, an Ottawa-based defence lawyer, called the MPs' decision to weigh in on the proposed sentencing "craven politics." "It is very dangerous for politicians to be weighing in on matters before the court," he said. Spratt said there is a long-standing convention that politicians must not impose their views on the judicial system in Canada. But sometimes politicians step over that line. In 2021, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that it was "beyond comprehension" that the suspect in a homicide case involving the death of a Toronto police officer had been granted bail. The accused was found not guilty in 2024. Spratt said politicians who were critical of the justice system at the time ended up looking foolish when the facts of the case came out. WATCH | Freedom Convoy organizer Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence: Politicians who choose to leverage high-profile cases to "advance a political narrative" ultimately end up devaluing the work of the courts, Spratt said. The spokesperson for Poilievre's office said MPs are exercising their freedom to "raise concerns about disproportionate sentencing in the justice system." "It's the job of the Opposition to raise questions about consistency and proportionality in the criminal justice system, including sentencing law and policy, illuminated by specific cases," the spokesperson said. Spratt said the Conservative criticism undersells the nature of the offences; although the charge is "mischief," this isn't an instance like a child misbehaving, Spratt argued. The case involves two organizers of a demonstration that cost millions of dollars in damage and caused "real harm" to thousands of downtown Ottawa residents, he said. In delivering the guilty verdicts, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said Lich and Barber routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, even though they knew the effect it was having on people and businesses downtown. Thousands of protesters, vehicles and big rig trucks converged on downtown Ottawa in early 2022 in opposition to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, vaccine mandates and the government of then prime minister Justin Trudeau. The demonstrators refused to leave the downtown, with many honking their truck horns at all hours even after a court injunction ordered them to stop. Residents in the area complained of being harassed and said the smell of diesel fumes was overwhelming. Poilievre was supportive of the protesters during the demonstration. He brought coffee and doughnuts to some of the truckers and called them "honest, hardworking, decent people" in a February 2022 video taken outside Parliament. Some of the people involved in the protest said they wanted to overthrow the government. Poilievre said at the time that the truckers should not be disparaged as a group for the views of certain individuals. The protest was eventually broken up by a massive police operation after the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in the country's history. A federal public inquiry was held to examine the use of the law, which gave government, police and financial institutions extraordinary powers to quell the protest. The commission released a report one year after the protests that said the federal government was justified in using the law. Spratt said outside comments are not likely to change the judge's opinion on a possible sentence for Lich and Barber. "This judge in particular is not going to make a decision one way or the other because Pierre Poilievre decided that he'd hop on social media and express his opinion."
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Poilievre, Conservative MPs criticize Crown ahead of Freedom Convoy leaders' sentencing
Several Conservative MPs and leader Pierre Poilievre are criticizing the Crown's approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the Freedom Convoy protests, with the party's deputy leader calling it an act of "political vengeance." Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill in Ottawa for more than three weeks in early 2022. Barber was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order. They were found not guilty of several charges, including counselling others to commit mischief. A sentencing hearing for Barber and Lich is scheduled to take place in Ottawa on Wednesday. Lich has posted on social media that the Crown is seeking a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Barber. She posted a screen shot of part of the Crown's submission to the judge, which called their actions "the worst case of mischief" and argued that the right to political expression has never existed without limitations. The Canadian Press has not independently verified the screen shot. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X on Monday to question the Crown's approach. "Let's get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges and antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares and block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants seven years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich and Barber," he said. "How is this justice?" In her own social media post, deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman said that if "the Crown suddenly wants to apply the law — equal application of law would be a good start — but this is political vengeance not actual justice and it's why trust in our institutions is dwindling." Ontario Conservative MP Andrew Lawton called the proposed sentencing range "excessive and vindictive." "The Crown is seeking a seven-year sentence (eight for Chris) for a three-week peaceful protest almost 3½ years ago. All while violent offenders are given slaps on the wrist," Lawton said. Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer described the proposed sentence as seven to eight years "for holding the line and causing Justin Trudeau a political emergency." He compared it to a case in which a man was given a conditional discharge for trying to buy sex from someone he believed was 15 years old. "It is pretty clear what the Liberals' priorities are. Conservatives are the only ones proposing to fix our laws so that the real criminals end up behind bars," Patzer said. A spokesperson from Poilievre's office said in a statement that MPs "are raising concerns because the sentencing sought by the Crown in this particular case appears completely disproportionate, particularly when compared to violent criminals who have gotten away with a mere slap on the wrist." The Conservatives ran on a tough-on-crime platform in the April election. Poilievre promised "jail not bail" for repeat offenders and pledged to legislate life sentences for some human trafficking and drug offences — promises that constitutional experts said would almost certainly be struck down by the courts. Monday's social media posts came after a number of prominent right-wing social media influencers and personalities called out Poilievre and his MPs over their alleged lack of support for Lich and Barber. 'Dangerous' for MPs to weigh in on prosecution, expert says Lich and Barber have been greeted by vocal supporters at each of their court appearances and Lich's post had thousands of likes and comments on Monday. Michael Spratt, an Ottawa-based defence lawyer, called the MPs' decision to weigh in on the proposed sentencing "craven politics." "It is very dangerous for politicians to be weighing in on matters before the court," he said. Spratt said there is a long-standing convention that politicians must not impose their views on the judicial system in Canada. But sometimes politicians step over that line. In 2021, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that it was "beyond comprehension" that the suspect in a homicide case involving the death of a Toronto police officer had been granted bail. The accused was found not guilty in 2024. Spratt said politicians who were critical of the justice system at the time ended up looking foolish when the facts of the case came out. WATCH | Freedom Convoy organizer Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence: Freedom Convoy organizer Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence 5 months ago Pat King received a three-month conditional sentence plus time served for his role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest in downtown Ottawa. Crown prosecutors had asked for a 10-year sentence, the maximum penalty for mischief. Politicians who choose to leverage high-profile cases to "advance a political narrative" ultimately end up devaluing the work of the courts, Spratt said. The spokesperson for Poilievre's office said MPs are exercising their freedom to "raise concerns about disproportionate sentencing in the justice system." "It's the job of the Opposition to raise questions about consistency and proportionality in the criminal justice system, including sentencing law and policy, illuminated by specific cases," the spokesperson said. Spratt said the Conservative criticism undersells the nature of the offences; although the charge is "mischief," this isn't an instance like a child misbehaving, Spratt argued. The case involves two organizers of a demonstration that cost millions of dollars in damage and caused "real harm" to thousands of downtown Ottawa residents, he said. In delivering the guilty verdicts, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said Lich and Barber routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, even though they knew the effect it was having on people and businesses downtown. Thousands of protesters, vehicles and big rig trucks converged on downtown Ottawa in early 2022 in opposition to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, vaccine mandates and the government of then prime minister Justin Trudeau. The demonstrators refused to leave the downtown, with many honking their truck horns at all hours even after a court injunction ordered them to stop. Residents in the area complained of being harassed and said the smell of diesel fumes was overwhelming. Poilievre was supportive of the protesters during the demonstration. He brought coffee and doughnuts to some of the truckers and called them "honest, hardworking, decent people" in a February 2022 video taken outside Parliament. Some of the people involved in the protest said they wanted to overthrow the government. Poilievre said at the time that the truckers should not be disparaged as a group for the views of certain individuals. The protest was eventually broken up by a massive police operation after the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in the country's history. A federal public inquiry was held to examine the use of the law, which gave government, police and financial institutions extraordinary powers to quell the protest. The commission released a report one year after the protests that said the federal government was justified in using the law. Spratt said outside comments are not likely to change the judge's opinion on a possible sentence for Lich and Barber.
