Beginning of the penalty for determining the sentence for Lich and Barber

The hearing for determining the sentence of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two organizers of the truckers’ convoy, begins on Wednesday morning, several months after the two were found guilty of mischief.

Two days were reserved for the parties to present their observations on the penalty.

Ms. Lich said on social networks that the crown claimed a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Mr. Barberwho was also found guilty of having incited other people to disobey a court order.

She has published a screenshot of part of the crown from the crown to the judge, in which she qualified their actions as Worse case of mischief And argued that the right to political expression never existed without limits. Canadian press could not check the screenshot independently.

Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were key figures in the convoy of truckers, a rally during which demonstrators occupied the downtown Ottawa for three weeks from the end of January 2022 to protest against the vaccination obligations and other measures related to the Pandemic of Cavid-19.

The demonstration ended when the federal government invoked the law on emergency measures for the first time in its history. The convoy was evacuated from downtown Ottawa during a three-day police operation that started on February 18.

The judge Heather Perkins-McVeyfrom the Ontario Court, explained that she had recognized Ms. Lich and M. Barber Guilty of mischief because they had regularly encouraged people to join the demonstration or stay there, knowing the harmful effects it had on the residents and shops in downtown Ottawa.

M. Barber was also found guilty of having encouraged other people to disobey a court order by telling them to ignore the injunction of a judge ordering the participants of the convoy to stop horny. Ms. Lich was not accused of this offense.

In a separate trial, that of Pat King, another organizer of the convoy, the public prosecutor had requested a sentence of 10 years in prison for mischief and disobedience to an order of the court.

King was sentenced in February to three months of house arrest, 100 hours of general interest in a food bank or a men’s refuge and one year of probation.

He benefited from a nine -month credit for the time already spent in detention before his conviction.

Hairy is pronounced

The conservative chief Pierre Hairy criticized the crown sentence proposals for Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber. In a message published on Monday on social networks, Mr. Hairy compared the fork of sentences to those inflicted for other crimes and asked: Where is justice?

Although it is quite rare for elected officials to comment directly on an hearing for determining the sentence, Mr. Hairy’s message has been taken up by several other conservative deputies.

The assistant chef of the Conservative Party, Melissa Lantsman, described the sentence proposed by the public prosecutor of political revenge.

Some conservatives, including Mr. Hairyvre, openly supported the convoy of truckers while trucks and other vehicles blocked the streets around the hill of the Parliament.

MME Lich and M. Barber both thanked Mr. Hairy for his support in messages published separately on social networks.

There is a fine line between politics and judicial power, as it should be, and I have long understood the uncomfortable position in which elected officials find themselves when it comes to commenting on affairs whose courts are seizedsaid Ms. Lich on Tuesday. In our case, the double standard and the vindictive nature of the public prosecutor have become too obvious to be ignored and will create a precedent who will affect all Canadians who choose to demonstrate peacefully or will dissuade them from exercising their constitutional right to meet peacefully.

Thank you, Pierre, we have been waiting for so long that elected officials speakfor his part wrote Mr. Barber.

Mr. Poilievre lost his headquarters in the Ottawa region in the April elections and is presented in a by -election in Alberta.

Not guilty of certain accusations

MME Lich and M. Barber The two were declared not guilty of intimidation, obstructing the work of the police and having encouraged another person to commit an offense.

The judge Perkins-McVey argued that intimidation has a feeling of threat or violence. She added that Mrs. Lich and M. Barber both called on the demonstrators to remain peaceful several times throughout the demonstration.

Regarding the obstacle to the work of the police, the judge Perkins-McVey noted that the two accused had been arrested without incident and placed in police custody before the start of the police operation aimed at evacuating the city center of Ottawa.

The charges of advising other people to commit a mischief were suspended at the request of the prosecution.