Who are Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, Freedom Convoy organizers, facing 7 and 8-year sentences for the 2022 Ottawa protest?

Economic Times

4 days ago

Reuters Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich walks to the courthouse for a sentencing hearing in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Blair Gable Sentencing hearings began Wednesday, July 23 for Freedom Convoy organizers Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, as the Crown called for unusually stiff penalties, eight years in prison for Barber and seven for Lich, following their April convictions for mischief.
Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher told Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey that the proposed sentences reflect the 'extraordinary harm' caused by the 2022 trucker protest, which paralyzed downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks.
She argued that Lich and Barber played 'pivotal leadership roles' in orchestrating the occupation and encouraging participants to remain in place despite court injunctions and mounting disruptions to residents and businesses. 'It's not a sentence that is being sought lightly,' said Wetscher, 'but one the Crown believes is proportional to the damage caused.' Defence Pushes Back: 'Cruel and Unusual Punishment' Barber's lawyer, Diane Magas, pushed back forcefully against the Crown's recommendations, calling them 'excessive, abusive, and unconstitutional.' She urged the court to consider an absolute discharge, which would spare Barber both jail time and a criminal record. At minimum, she said, he should serve a conditional sentence in the community.Magas cited several precedents, including the 2010 G20 summit protesters, who caused extensive property damage but received less than two years in jail. Pat King, another convoy figure, received a three-month conditional sentence plus time served.'There are clearly more severe cases of mischief in Canadian legal history,' she said. 'The fear and intimidation in those incidents was far greater than in this case.' Mitigating Factors Acknowledged Magas pointed out Barber's cooperation with police during the protest, including efforts to relocate trucks away from residential streets. Justice Perkins-McVey acknowledged the action as a mitigating factor, though she noted that Barber's cooperation helped manage the disruption, but didn't end it.She also read aloud character references that portrayed Barber as a 'pillar of the Swift Current community' and emphasized the impact a criminal record would have on his trucking business, particularly his ability to cross the US border. Who Are Tamara Lich and Chris Barber?
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were two of the most visible organizers of the so-called Freedom Convoy, a protest movement that began in late January 2022 in response to COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. Tamara Lich was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and has worked primarily in logistics within the energy sector, including as a base administrator at STEP Energy Services. She has also been a fitness instructor and performs as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Alberta-based band Blind Monday.Lich gained attention as an organizer of the far-right Yellow Vest protests in Medicine Hat during 2018–2019, distancing the group from violent rhetoric after threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She later became a leader of the Maverick Party, promoting Western Canadian interests and constitutional reform, with secession as a secondary goal. Lich stepped down from the party's board in early 2022.Lich resides in Medicine Hat, Alberta. She is married to Dwayne Lich and is both a mother and a grandmother. One of her daughters was born prematurely, while another daughter works as a nurse. Lich has also claimed Métis heritage.Christopher John Barber (born 1975) is a truck driver and owner of C.B. Trucking Limited in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He co-led the 2022 Canadian convoy protest and was arrested on February 17, 2022, then released on bail the following day. What Was the Freedom Convoy Protest? The case against Tamara Lich and Chris Barber stems from their roles as key organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa for over three weeks. Initially charged with multiple offences, including mischief, obstruction, and intimidation, the charges were later narrowed, and in April 2025, both were found guilty of mischief, while Barber was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order. They were acquitted of more serious charges like intimidation and obstructing police.
Lich and Barber were arrested on February 17, 2022, shortly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, a first in Canadian history, to dismantle the protest. A federal court later deemed that move unconstitutional. Initially, the pair faced several charges, including counselling mischief, obstructing police, and intimidation. However, after Ottawa police filed a relaid information sheet, the most serious charges were narrowed down.In April 2025, both were convicted of mischief, with the court finding that they encouraged demonstrators to stay despite knowing the disruption they were causing. Barber was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order, after he told followers to ignore a judge's ruling banning horn honking. They were acquitted on other charges, including intimidation and obstructing police. Political Reaction: Poilievre Slams Crown's Request
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized the Crown's proposed sentences as disproportionate and politically motivated.'Let's get this straight,' he posted on X, 'while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their charges... the Crown wants 7 years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich and Barber. How is this justice?'His remarks drew support from Barber and Lich. In a statement, Lich thanked Poilievre and wrote: 'The double standard and vindictive nature from the prosecution office has become too obvious to ignore.'The sentencing hearings are scheduled to continue Thursday, July 24, with more arguments from the defence and a final ruling from Justice Perkins-McVey expected later this summer.
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