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The lawyer for “Freedom Convoy” co-leader Tamara Lich said Thursday she should receive an absolute discharge because she and co-accused Chris Barber tried to mitigate the protest’s effects on downtown Ottawa.
That decision would mean Lich would not receive a criminal record.
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Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon argued that his client and Barber took “unprecedented” steps by working with police and city officials throughout the protest to limit the protest’s impact.
“This is an individual who came to this city with the best of intentions, as recognized by the judge. She has been under strict bail conditions for three-and-a-half years. She spent 49 days in jail for the offence of mischief,” Greenspon said during the court’s lunch break.
“And if one looks at the positive impact that she’s had on the lives of many Canadians and the community service that she has continued to do, there’s absolutely no reason for her to not receive an absolute discharge.”
Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief in April for their roles in the convoy protest, which saw activists fill much of downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures.
The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order.
Barber’s lawyer, Diane Magas, is also seeking an absolute discharge for her client because he has been on bail for the last three-and-a-half years without incident.
Greenspon became emotional at times while reading from dozens of support letters submitted on behalf of his client. He read out messages from people who said the convoy protest gave them hope after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures that some saw as government overreach.
“Tamara Lich, Chris Barber stood up for what they believed in and what many, many people — thousands of people across the country were not capable of standing up (for). And those people were inspired,” he said.
Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher is scheduled to respond to defence submissions Thursday afternoon before Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey begins her deliberations.
Wetscher said during her sentencing submissions Wednesday that she is seeking stiff sentences for Lich and Barber because of the broad community harm caused by the three-week 2022 protest in Ottawa’s downtown core.
She said that she is seeking long sentences not because of Lich and Barber’s political beliefs, but because of their actions during the protest.
Wetscher said that while Lich and Barber may have come to Ottawa with noble intentions, they continued to encourage people to take part in the protests even when it became impossible for them to ignore the effect it was having on downtown residents and businesses.
Greenspon said Thursday that it’s “facile and inaccurate” to say the Crown’s sentencing proposal sentence is not motivated by his client’s politics. He said Lich continually called for protesters to remain peaceful and can’t be held responsible for the actions of individuals at the demonstration.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
