OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich had bail-related charges placed against her last year for attending an awards ceremony stayed by the Crown in a move that comes during her weeks-long trial for leading the convoy, which is separate from her bond charges.
The Democracy Fund (TDF), which is crowdfunding Lich’s legal costs, said in a press release that during a brief court appearance on Monday “the Crown informed the Court that it is staying charges for breach of bail conditions against Tamara Lich.”
Lich’s bail charges are separate from her main criminal charges, which she and Freedom Convoy leader Chris Barber are currently on trial for in Ottawa. If Lich is convicted of criminal charges, she could face more jail time.
The TDF noted that the Crown advised the Court that, by staying the bail-related charges, “it could devote time to completing its case on the main criminal charges.”
One of Lich’s original bail conditions, after being released from jail for her role in the Freedom Convoy, was that she was banned from having any contact with other organizers of the protests as well as using social media.
In June 2022, Lich attended the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms’ George Jonas gala event in Toronto. The TDF noted that the “Crown alleged that she breached this condition by contacting another person the Crown contends was also a Freedom Convoy organizer.”
As a result, Lich was arrested on June 27, 2022, in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta for a second time. Her second arrest came about after she allegedly violated her bail conditions.
In July 2022, Ontario Superior Court Justice Andrew Goodman ordered her released from jail, saying, “Take those shackles off.” Her bail conditions remained, however.
The trial has thus far taken a lot more time than originally planned due to the slow pace of the Crown calling its witnesses. LifeSiteNews has been covering the trial extensively.
The trial of Lich and Barber resumed October 11 after a hiatus of nearly three weeks. The judge agreed to allow the government to call eight more witnesses despite strong objections by the defense.
During Day 20 of the trial, a police witness testified her phone was “wiped” of all information when asked by the judge if she had copies of vital information of conversations between her and protesters. This is the second police officer in less than a week who has testified their phone was suddenly “wiped” of all data.
In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government enacted the Emergencies Act in mid-February.
Lich and Barber are facing multiple charges from the 2022 protests, including mischief, counseling mischief, counseling intimidation and obstructing police for taking part in and organizing the anti-mandate Freedom Convoy. As reported by LifeSiteNews at the time, despite the non-violent nature of the protest and the charges, Lich was jailed for weeks before she was granted bail.
After the protesters were cleared out, which was done through the freezing of bank accounts of those involved without a court order as well as the physical removal and arrest of demonstrators, Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23.
Lich and Barber’s trial relating to criminal charges will resume Thursday.