“Criminalizing Dissent”

Canadian journalist @rupasubramanya testifies to U.S. Congress about Justin Trudeau's government de-banking 800 Canadian citizens, urging Americans to fight the authoritarian illiberalism that threatens freedom globally.

🔥🔥🔥

Rupa tells the story of how Danny Bulford, 41, a… pic.twitter.com/W63BpoAZXt

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) November 30, 2023

h/t Mauser

OTTAWA – The lawyers involved in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers are finally confronting the central question of the case: whether or not the 2022 protest that gridlocked Canada’s national capital for weeks was a legal expression of Charter rights.

Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, two of the most prominent leaders of the protest, have maintained that their only objective throughout the convoy was to organize and oversee a peaceful and legal demonstration, and that they encouraged people to follow the law.

Long-awaited legal arguments over the protections afforded by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the provisions of the Criminal Code will form a “central issue” as the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber turns to the defence to mount its case.

The 2022 convoy demonstration raised fundamental legal questions, experts say, surrounding the charter-protected rights of protesters when their actions interfere with the property rights of ordinary citizens.

Tamara Lich’s defence team says there’s no evidence to support that she and a fellow Freedom Convoy organizer should be viewed as co-conspirators in court, because their actions were not illegal.

The Crown finished its case against Ms. Lich and Chris Barber on Nov. 20.

An Ontario tribunal has initiated a new hearing for a Windsor police officer appealing his conviction and penalty for a donation to the Freedom Convoy in 2022. A defence lawyer said the prior conviction was “unduly harsh” and disregarded the officer’s freedom of expression.

In the arena of justice, it is far too easy to exaggerate when we see injustice occurring, and we might be prone to resorting to hyperbole when we assess innocent people to be the victims of unjust charges and a ravenous, perhaps politically motivated, justice system.

But it is difficult to attend the trial of Freedom Convoy personalities Tamara Lich and Chris Barber and not marvel at how all of this has come to pass.

The judge in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected to deliver a ruling Friday about the admissibility of internal police documents as evidence.

Crown prosecutors and the Ottawa Police Service have argued the heavily redacted documents, which include emails and information about a software update for officers’ cellphones, are irrelevant or protected by solicitor-client privilege.

The criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected to resume with legal sparring between the defence and Ottawa police in an attempt to gain access to internal police communications.

The trial was stalled last week when the lawyers for Tamara Lich and Chris Barber asked for internal emails about the evidence that police disclosed in the case.

Seven weeks into the trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, the court still hasn’t heard from all witnesses.

Crown prosecutors decided to stay a bail violation charge against Lich on Oct. 23 in an attempt to limit the scope of the court and reduce ongoing delays in the trial. With the Crown’s argument dragging on nearly twice as long as expected, prosecutors have chosen to drop the bail violation charge to focus on the other charges Lich is facing.

Measures with the stated purpose of preventing discrimination are increasing in cities across Canada, but some say they put undue restrictions on free expression.

Waterloo, Ontario, added a section to one of its bylaws this month to ban speech on public property that makes others “feel harassed.” Calgary has a similar bylaw against causing “offence or humiliation” anywhere in public.

In recent years, Edmonton and London, Ontario, have also passed such bylaws.

The young public servant thrust into the spotlight when she agreed to become the lead plaintiff in a multi-million-dollar proposed class action against Freedom Convoy organizers is testifying in the criminal trial of two of them: Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.

Zexi Li’s testimony came on the 17th day of trial for Lich and Barber, who are each charged with mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing police for their role in the weeks-long protest in January and February of 2022.