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(LifeSiteNews) –– The trial for Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, which was supposed to have been only 16 days long, has now concluded after over a year, with the presiding judge observing that determining a verdict, which could take up to six months, will be “daunting” task.
In her concluding statements last Friday in an Ottawa courthouse, presiding judge Heather Perkins-McVey said that she does “not know” when she will “be in a position to give my decision,” adding that coming up with a verdict will be “a little daunting.”
The judge has promised that on November 26, she will be providing an update as to when a decision could be forthcoming.
The trial has been ongoing for over one year and began on September 3, 2023. As reported by LifeSiteNews, both Lich and Barber face a possible 10-year prison sentence for their role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy.
In an X post on Friday, Lich shared her thoughts on the trial finally wrapping up.
“Well, that’s a wrap to the Longest Mischief Trial of All Time,” she wrote.
Well, that’s a wrap to the Longest Mischief Trial of All Time. Check in date Nov 26 to hopefully set a date for the verdict.
The crown really disappointed me today. His remarks about the Event That Shall Not Be Named being nothing more than a weekend party are indicative of…
— Tamara Lich (@LichTamara) September 13, 2024
“The Crown really disappointed me today. His remarks about the Event That Shall Not Be Named (Freedom Convoy) being nothing more than a weekend party are indicative of a level of smugness and elitism that I can never and will never understand,” added Lich.
Both Lich and Barber had attended the hearings in person, travelling from their homes in Alberta and Saskatchewan respectively. Last Friday, however, they attended via video.
Lich and Barber face multiple charges from the 2022 protests, including mischief, counseling mischief, counseling intimidation, and obstructing police. In Canada, anyone charged with mischief could face a potential jail sentence of up to 10 years.
The Crown prosecution has held steadfast to the notion that Lich and Barber somehow influenced the protesters’ actions through their words as part of a co-conspiracy. This claim has been rejected by the defense as weak.
It has also been asserted “that the absence of violence or peaceful nature of the protest didn’t make it lawful, emphasizing that the onus was on the Crown to prove the protest’s unlawfulness.”
The reality is that Lich and Barber collaborated with police on many occasions so that the protest remained law abiding.
The Democracy Fund, which is crowdfunding Lich’s legal costs, noted in one of its last legal updates of the trial that it expected the Crown would try to prove the leaders were “co-conspirators,” meaning that accusations placed against one leader automatically apply to the other.
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.
Demand that the Freedom Convoy’s $5.5 million be returned. Send a message today