In late September, Quebec truckers protested in various cities demanding stricter trucking rules and better oversight in the industry, following rising traffic accident fatalities the month before.

OTTAWA—The judge in the trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber has ruled that eight Crown witnesses can testify with respect to the impact the trucker protest had on them.

Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey ruled on Oct. 7 that Barber and Lich would receive 18-month conditional sentences to be served at home over their roles in the 2022 trucker protest. 

Crown prosecutors are seeking seven years in prison for Lich and eight years for Barber for their roles in the three-week trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions in Ottawa.

Stay of Proceedings Following the judge’s ruling, Barber’s lawyer began arguing for a stay of proceedings on the basis of “officially induced error of law,” claiming his client was given erroneous legal advice on the legality of the trucker protest by

However, more recently, in a federal court case brought forth by some of the protesters, Justice Richard Mosley found the Liberal government’s use of the act in response to the trucker protest was “unreasonable” and breached Canadians’ Section 8 and Section

A convoy of vehicles in West Kelowna, B.C., on Jan. 28, 2023, to mark the one-year anniversary of trucker convoy protests against COVID-19 mandates.

Barber and Tamara Lich are on trial for mischief, intimidation, and counselling others to break the law in connection with the trucker protest in early 2022. Barber is also accused of counselling others to disobey a court order.

On Oct. 11, Justice Heather Perkins-McVey ruled that eight Crown witnesses would be allowed to testify with respect to the impact the trucker protest had on them.

Barber are currently on trial for mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation related to the trucker protest in early 2022, which saw hundreds of vehicles flood the streets of downtown Ottawa to protest pandemic-related

Cyr testified that organizers required truckers to follow a code of conduct, which included rules against violence.

Barber and Tamara Lich are on trial for mischief, intimidation, and counselling others to break the law in connection with the trucker protest in early 2022, while Barber is also accused of counselling others to disobey a court order.

On Feb. 7, Ottawa residents received a court order prohibiting truckers from gratuitously honking their horns, an aspect of the protest locals found particularly annoying.

The two are currently on trial for mischief, intimidation, and counselling others to break the law in connection with the trucker protest in early 2022, while Barber is also accused of counselling others to disobey a court order.

Brisco made a donation to the trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Feb. 7, 2022, through the website GiveSendGo.

Brisco made a donation to the trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Feb. 7, 2022, through the website GiveSendGo.

The Crown told the court that if Ottawa residents are called to testify, they would speak about disruptions they experienced during the three-week trucker protest, such as road blockages, honking of horns, smells of diesel, business interruptions, and

Barber encouraged truckers to continue honking horns. Mr. Radcliffe argued that the actions of Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber went "far beyond" exercising their rights to protest.

In January 2024, however, a federal court ruled that the government’s use of the act against the trucker protest was unreasonable and violated their Charter rights to freedom of expression and security against unreasonable searches.

On Jan. 23, 2024, Justice Richard Mosley ruled that by invoking the act in response to the trucker protest against COVID-19 mandates in February 2022, the Liberal government had acted unreasonably and interfered with Canadians' Charter rights.

On Sept. 5, the first day of the trial, Crown prosecutor Tim Radcliffe had said that the trucker protest was "anything but peaceful" and that Mr. Barber and Ms.

Unwilling to accept that they overreacted to the truckers' legitimate, albeit unconventional, protest, the federal government quickly declared it will appeal.

Barber are currently on trial for mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation related to the trucker protest in early 2022, in which hundreds of vehicles flooded the streets of downtown Ottawa to protest pandemic-related

Lich is currently on trial for mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation related to the trucker protest in early 2022 which saw hundreds of vehicles flood the streets of downtown Ottawa in order to protest pandemic-related

Past Blockade In 2022, the federal government used fears of potential rail blockades by anti-vaccine mandate trucker convoys as justification for invoking the Emergencies Act against political protesters, despite no evidence that demonstrators had done

Loberg Ector LLP commenced the proceedings in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on behalf of 20 plaintiffs on Feb. 14, which is exactly two years after Ottawa invoked the Emergencies Act to deal with the trucker protest.

Back in February 2022, as the trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions was ongoing, downtown Ottawa resident Zexi Li and other downtown residents and businesses launched a $290-million class-action lawsuit against the

Barber and Lich are currently on trial for mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation in connection with the trucker protest in early 2022.

That was when a convoy of truckers descended upon Ottawa to protest government's COVID-19 mandates. “When I’m in rooms like this, I feel something I like to call ‘trucker energy,’” Ms. Wood told the crowd.

Remember Canada's chilly response to the truckers' protest? If governments buddy up, your bank account could go into deep freeze too. Moving to Sunny Greece? Thinking of buying a villa in Greece to snag a residency visa?