(L-R) Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms president John Carpay, Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich, and Justice Centre chairman of the board Jonathan Allen, at the George Jonas Freedom Award ceremony in Toronto on June 16, 2022. (Ramona Diaconescu, Justice Centre photographer)
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich was reportedly arrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta, on June 27.
“We are awaiting further details but we currently understand it relates to her bail conditions,” lawyer Keith Wilson, who has in the past represented Freedom Convoy organizers, said on Twitter.
Lich was charged with counselling to commit mischief and obstructing police, among other charges, on Feb. 17.
She was denied bail on Feb. 22 in a decision by Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois, who said that Lich’s detention was “necessary for the protection and safety of the public.”
Lich appealed the decision, and on March 7, Ontario Superior Court Justice John M. Johnston overturned Bourgeois’s decision by granting Lich bail. Johnston said Bourgeois’s ruling was too subjective in its assessment of the gravity of Lich’s offences; weighing them against the impacts on Ottawa’s residents rather than other offences in the Criminal Code.
Lich was released after being in custody for 19 days on a $25,000 bond with several bail conditions, including avoiding contact with fellow convoy organizers and refraining from using social media or having someone do so on her behalf.
Lich attended a ceremony in Toronto on June 16 where she received the annual George Jonas Freedom Award by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
Prior to the award ceremony, crown prosecutors had argued that she has breached her bail conditions by agreeing to attend the ceremony. But Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips ruled on May 25 that she wasn’t acting against her bail terms, saying his decision is based on how well Lich’s surety has supervised her, Lich following her bail conditions, and her low risk of reoffence after having had “a taste of jail.”
Tom Marazzo, a military veteran who acted as a spokesperson for the Freedom Convoy in February, urged supporters to remain calm in reaction to Lich’s arrest.
“I know Tamara well enough to know that she would expect us to remain calm,” Marazzo said on Twitter. “Yes, her arrest is shocking. However, we cannot use this as an excuse to behave poorly or break laws in defiance of her arrest. We are, and have always been, a peaceful group. We’ll prove it yet again.”
The Freedom Convoy protest started as a demonstration against the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on cross-border truck drivers in January, but expanded into a bigger movement with many joining the cause to protest various COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
The protests in Ottawa lasted for around three weeks, and ended after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, with police clearing the protests in an escalated operation in a few days.
Andrew Chen and The Canadian Press contributed to this article.
