Canadian Gov’t Still Seeking Jail Time For Freedom Convoy Leaders In Appeal Set For Next Year

OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — The Canadian government’s appeal of the acquittals of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on intimidation charges will not be heard until the spring of 2027. 

In an X post last week, Lich said that her original 18-month house arrest sentence will be “served January 21, 2027, and then it’ll be back to court to start this process all over again.”

“By the time this is over, if it ever truly is, the Ontario taxpayers will be on the hook for around $15M for the prosecution of our case alone,” she wrote.

Lich noted how Crown prosecutors are “maintaining their pressure to have me imprisoned for 7 years, @ChrisBarber1975 for 8.”

“They also desperately want those intimidation charges to stick. Because I’m very, very scary and shouldn’t be allowed to roam the streets.”

The Court of Appeal instructions were released June 29. They state that the Crown will file all of its arguments by December 30, 2026. 

Lich and Barber’s lawyers must have their files submitted by February 12, 2027, with the appeal to be heard in the spring of 2027.

According to Judge Grant Huscroft, “the expectation is an appeal hearing in the spring of 2027.” He noted that both parties should file their appeals as soon as possible.

Last November, government lawyers for the Crown filed the appeal of the acquittals of Lich and Barber on intimidation charges.

The Crown also wants its recent 18-month conditional sentence on mischief charges replaced with harsher penalties that could include possible jail time.

Last year, Lich and Barber were declared guilty of “mischief” for their roles as leaders of the protest against all COVID mandates in April 2022 and as social media influencers. The conviction came after a nearly two-year trial despite the non-violent nature of the popular movement.

On October 7, 2025, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after being convicted earlier in the year of “mischief.” 

Lich was given 18 months’ less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.

In May, Lich said she will be suing the Ottawa Police, a Crown prosecutor, and others for “malicious prosecution & negligent investigation.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.

LifeSiteNews also reported that both Lich and Barber have filed appeals of their own against their house arrest sentences, arguing that the trial judge did not correctly apply the law on their mischief charges.

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, Trudeau’s federal government enacted the Emergencies Act in mid-February.

Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had disparaged Canadians who chose not to get the COVID shots, saying that opposing his measures were of a “small, fringe minority” who hold “unacceptable views” and do not “represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other.”

After the protesters were cleared out, which was achieved 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 Emergencies Act on February 23, 2022.  

At the time, seven of Canada’s 10 provinces opposed Trudeau’s use of the EA.

As reported by LifeSiteNews in January, the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal affirmed in a ruling that Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act was illegal.

In essence, the appeals court upheld a 2024 ruling by Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley that Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act was “not justified.”

Despite this, the Canadian government will appeal the decision.

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