U.S. citizens: Demand Congress investigate soaring excess death rates
TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian police officer asked for a review of his “misconduct” charge for making a $50 donation to the 2022 Freedom Convoy.
According to an April 3 press release from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), Constable Michael Brisco of the Windsor Police Service requested that the Ontario Divisional Court in Toronto review the decision to punish him for his $50 donation to the Freedom Convoy.
“It was unfortunate that private donor information was unlawfully accessed,” Brisco’s lawyer, Darren Leung, said.
“It is outrageous that the Ontario Provincial Police obtained this information to assist in persecuting police officers who were exercising their right to free expression,” he continued.
“The evidence used to convict Constable Brisco amounted to nothing more than opinions from people who did not like the message,” Leung added. “We are hopeful that the Divisional Court will see that the entire conviction was unreasonable.”
Brisco’s legal battle began in 2022 after he donated $50 to the Freedom Convoy, which featured thousands of Canadians gathering in downtown Ottawa to call for an end to COVID regulations and vaccine mandates.
On February 7, 2022, Brisco made the donation to the Freedom Convoy’s GiveSendGo account. At the time, he was on unpaid leave after choosing not to comply with a mandatory COVID-19 jab policy then in effect.
However, a court order froze the GiveSendGo account, preventing the donation from reaching the Freedom Convoy. Shortly after, the GiveSendGo’s website was hacked and the donors’ private information was leaked to the public.
After Brisco’s name was made public, he was convicted of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act (PSA).
Brisco’s lawyer, Shane Miles, claimed that the officer did not consider himself a cop at the time of his donation because he was on unpaid leave.
However, the adjudicator said that Brisco was not fired and still a police officer when he donated to the Freedom Convoy.
In May 2023, Brisco was sentenced to work 80 unpaid hours as punishment for his donation to the peaceful protest.
However, since his sentence was issued, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled that the enactment of the Emergencies Act (EA) to end the Freedom Convoy violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
According to the ruling, the EA is meant to be reserved as a last resort if all other means fail. It cannot be invoked unless all other measures have been exhausted.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would be appealing the ruling. Notably, in the Federal Court of Appeal, where the case is now headed, 10 of the 15 judges were appointed by Trudeau.
On February 14, 2022, the EA was enacted to shut down the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa that included thousands of Canadians calling for an end to COVID mandates by camping outside Parliament.
Among the measures taken under the EA was freezing bank accounts of Canadians who donated to the protest.
Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23 after the protesters had been cleared out. At the time, seven of Canada’s 10 provinces opposed Trudeau’s use of the EA.
Trudeau had disparaged unvaccinated Canadians, saying those opposing his measures were a “small, fringe minority” who hold “unacceptable views” and do not “represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other.”
U.S. citizens: Demand Congress investigate soaring excess death rates