JCCF Lawyer Keith Wilson(L) and Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber (R) in Ottawa on Feb. 3, 2022. (Gerry Smith/NTD)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is criticizing Crown prosecutors for requesting seven-plus years’ prison time for Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
Poilievre made the comments on social media on July 21, saying the Crown’s request stands in contrast to the “rampant violent offenders” who he said often get released “without consequences” under Canada’s bail system.
“Let’s get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges & antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares & block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants 7 years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich & Barber,” he said. “How is this justice?”
Conservative MP and former journalist Andrew Lawton, who wrote a book on the Freedom Convoy before entering politics, also commented on the case on social media, saying the prosecution of Lich and Barber had been “excessive and vindictive” given that the Freedom Convoy was a “three-week peaceful protest almost three and a half years ago.”
Lich and Barber were the main organizers of the Freedom Convoy, a protest that started in response to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and evolved into a larger protest against pandemic measures. The protest led to hundreds of vehicles coming to Ottawa and parking downtown for three weeks, with other protests involving vehicles blocking ports of entry emerging across Canada in solidarity. Some Ottawa residents complained about horn honking, diesel fumes, blocked roadways, and harassment from protesters.
The Canadian government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022, which brought the demonstration to an end by giving law enforcement expanded powers to arrest demonstrators and freeze the bank accounts of some 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, while Barber was also charged with counselling others to disobey a court order.
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 for the other charges. The charges of counselling others to commit mischief were also stayed.
The Crown prosecutors were initially seeking two years of prison time for Lich and Barber, as well as auctioning Barber’s iconic truck “Big Red,” which he used to travel from Saskatchewan to Ottawa and parked in the downtown core for three weeks.
The Epoch Times contacted the office of the attorney general of Ontario but didn’t immediately hear back. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said the issue falls under the jurisdiction of the province’s attorney general.
Lich posted a copy of the Crown’s materials for their upcoming sentencing, which argued the proposed sentencing is “proportionate to the gravity of the offence, the moral culpability of the offenders, and takes into consideration both the mitigating factors and both Lich and Barber’s personal circumstances.”
The Crown also rejected the argument that a steeper sentence for the two would put a “chill” on political expression in Canada, adding “The Crown has always emphasized the importance of the right for all Canadians to be able to express themselves,” but that this right has limitations.
A sentencing hearing for Barber will be held on July 23 at the Ottawa Courthouse.