What’s Next in the Lengthy Trial of Freedom Convoy Organizers Lich and Barber

​While Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber have been found guilty of mischief following a trial that lasted nearly two years, the pair will soon face sentencing, with Barber waiting to hear whether proceedings against him will be stayed.

On July 23, Lich and Barber are set to begin a sentencing hearing that could continue until July 25. Lich said on X that she is “hopeful we will have the sentencing by mid to late August,” which would bring the pair’s trial length to 24 months.

July 23 will also be the date that Barber receives a decision on whether a stay of proceedings will be granted, something his lawyers requested in May.

Lich and Barber were two of the chief organizers of the Freedom Convoy, a protest that started in response to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and evolved into a general protest against pandemic measures. The protest saw hundreds of vehicles parked in downtown Ottawa for three weeks, with similar protests involving vehicle convoys emerging across Canada.

The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022, ending the demonstration and giving law enforcement expanded powers to arrest demonstrators and freeze bank accounts of individuals involved in the protest. Lich and Barber were arrested on Feb. 17, a day before police began their expanded action to end the protest in Ottawa.

The two were charged with mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation. Barber was also charged with counselling others to disobey a court order in a TikTok video where, following a court injunction against honking horns, he encouraged protesters to honk if they saw police arriving.

The pair’s trial began in September 2023 and stretched on for a year and a half due to delays and complex legal arguments, despite just 16 days being initially set aside for the trial.

Sentencing

On April 3, 2025, Justice Heather Perkins-McVey ruled that the two were guilty of mischief and Barber guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order, but that there was insufficient evidence on the other charges. The charges of counselling others to commit mischief were also stayed.

Perkins-McVey said in her decision that the evidence “strongly” showed that the pair were unified with the protesters and encouraged them to block roads, not taking steps to alleviate obstacles until later in the protest. However, the justice noted that the two did work together with police to reduce the protest’s footprint, something that “may indeed be a mitigation factor down the line.”

Perkins-McVey said the intimidation charge was distinct from mischief and that the Crown had failed to prove the pair’s behaviour met its definition. On the charge of obstructing police, the judge referred to several instances of Lich and Barber working with officers and encouraging protesters not to break the law.

Crown prosecutors are seeking two years of prison time for Lich and Barber and want to auction Barber’s iconic truck “Big Red,” which he used to travel from Saskatchewan to Ottawa and parked in the downtown core for three weeks.

Lich spent 18 days in jail following her initial arrest in February 2022 and was released in March on bail conditions that prohibited her from using social media and meeting with protest organizers. She was again arrested in June 2022 for violating bail conditions after a brief encounter with fellow organizer Tom Marazzo at a Toronto event where she received an award for her contributions to freedom. She spent 31 days in jail before being released in July.

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 his previous lawyers, police officers, and a Superior Court judge.

Barber’s lawyers said he was told by his lawyer at the time of the protest that he could continue protesting as long as it was done peacefully and safely. He was also told that his horn could be honked in situations of emergency, and that breaching the Feb. 6, 2022, injunction against honking would not be a criminal offence.

The lawyer also argued that Barber had coordinated with police to move vehicles out of the downtown core on Feb. 14, 2022, and, through those interactions, was led to believe he was acting lawfully. The lawyer also said that during the injunction hearing, the justice indicated the matter was civil and not criminal.

Justice Perkins-McVey responded that Barber had not specifically asked the police officers whether what he was doing was legal, while the injunction hearing was only addressing the issue of horn honking rather than the protest as a whole.