Sentencing hearing begins for convoy protest leaders Lich, Barber

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The sentencing hearing for convoy protest leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber has started in Ottawa, months after the two were found guilty of mischief.

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Barber is appearing virtually due to the sudden death of one of his parents, while Lich is attending in person.

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Dozens of people have filled the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

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Two days have been set aside for the parties to present their sentencing submissions.

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The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who also was convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order.

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Lich and Barber were key figures behind the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures.

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The protest ended after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever. The convoy was cleared out of Ottawa’s downtown core in a three-day police operation that began on Feb. 18.

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Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said she found Lich and Barber guilty of mischief because they routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, despite knowing the adverse effects it was having on downtown residents and businesses.

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Barber also was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order for telling people to ignore a judge’s injunction directing convoy participants to stop honking their truck horns. Lich was not charged with that offence.

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In a separate Ottawa-based trial for Pat King, another convoy leader, the Crown sought a sentence of 10 years in prison for mischief and disobeying a court order.

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King was sentenced in February to three months of house arrest, 100 hours of community service at a food bank or men’s shelter and a year of probation.

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He received nine months credit for time served before his conviction.

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Crown’s sentencing proposals for Lich and Barber. In a social media post Monday, Poilievre compared the sentencing range to sentences for other crimes and asked, “How is this justice?”

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While it’s quite rare for elected officials to comment directly on a sentencing hearing, Poilievre’s message was echoed by several other prominent Conservatives.

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Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman called the Crown’s proposed sentence “political vengeance not actual justice.”