OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – The Canadian Freedom Convoy’s Tamara Lich, who was arrested last Monday after allegedly violating her bail conditions, will stay jailed until a full-day hearing scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Lich was arrested on June 27 in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta, and was then transferred to an Ottawa jail. The Ottawa Police Service had placed a nationwide arrest warrant for Lich.
After making a short court appearance last Thursday, the Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee asked for a full-day hearing, which will be held tomorrow in an Ottawa court.
One of Lich’s defense lawyers, Eric Granger, said as reported by CBC that the only new charge she is facing is “a single charge of breaching a single bail condition.”
Granger added that Lich will “be on her ninth day in custody since her arrest before she even gets the opportunity to regain her liberty.”
According to the Freedom Convoy’s legal counsel lawyer Keith Wilson, her arrest came about because she allegedly broke the condition that she “not … talk about criticizing the government for Covid-19 restrictions or support in favour of the Freedom Convoy, whatever that means.”
“That should be troubling in its own right to anybody listening,” noted Wilson as reported by True North.
Lich was recently in Toronto to accept the annual George Jonas Freedom Award from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).
At the award ceremony, Lich gave a passionate speech about “uniting” to “uphold our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Wilson said that at the award ceremony there was a photo of “key players” from the Freedom Convoy which included Lich.
Lich’s bail conditions ban her from “verbally, in writing, financially, or by any other means, support anything related to the Freedom Convoy.” She is also mandated to reside in her home province of Alberta and cannot use social media.
In Ottawa’s Superior Court on May 25, Justice Kevin Phillips ruled to allow Lich to travel to Toronto in June to accept the George Jonas Freedom Award, after deciding against a Crown argument claiming she violated her bail conditions.
Lich said in court that she agreed to accept a freedom award from the JCCF and was hoping to have her bail conditions reversed so that she could go to Toronto for the June 16 award ceremony. Lich noted to the court she did not think this would be a breach of her bail conditions.
Phillips ruled that he had accepted Lich’s argument that there was no connection between the Freedom Convoy and accepting the award. He also noted that Lich cannot be held responsible for what others post online, nor is she to be held accountable for the JCCF’s actions in giving her an award.
Lich was first arrested on February 17, only two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act (EA), which he claimed was needed to deal with the Freedom Convoy protesters, who were demanding an end to all COVID mandates.
Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23.
Lich, along with Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber, were charged with multiple offenses such as mischief and obstructing police for taking part in and organizing the Freedom Convoy.
After spending almost three weeks in jail, Lich was met with a hero’s welcome upon returning home to Medicine Hat, Alberta, after being granted bail by an Ontario judge.
During Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa past weekend, thousands of people who participated in a freedom march showed their support to Lich.
One person wrote on Wellington Street outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa in white paint, “Free Tamara.”