An Alberta MLA is calling for the release of his constituent Tamara Lich, who remains behind bars for organizing the truckers’ Freedom Convoy protest to oppose federal COVID-19 mandates.
“She freely admits to taking part in non-violent civil disobedience in her role with the freedom convoy to Ottawa. She faces mischief charges, and nothing more,” Barnes said.
“Despite this, she has been denied bail by an Ontario judge who refuses to accept her pledge to quietly return home to Alberta.”
In his statement, Barnes said Lich is a “political prisoner,” and blamed “partisan media and [the] Eastern elite” for “portraying her as a threat to her own country” because she “embarrassed them.”
‘Arrogance and Elitism’
The protests in Ottawa began at the end of January to oppose the federal government’s vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. As large convoys of trucks from across the country arrived at the national capital, supporters joined in to call for an end to all pandemic-related restrictions. Protesters blocked several Canada-U.S. border crossings in solidarity with the truckers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to meet with the truckers personally or have any representatives hear their grievances during the three-week protest in Ottawa. On Feb. 14, he invoked the Emergencies Act which gave police sweeping powers to oust the protesters, including forcing towing companies to remove vehicles encamped in the city’s downtown core.
Under the emergency orders, financial measures were brought in that allowed banks to freeze without a court order the accounts of individuals and corporations who were suspected of being involved in the demonstration. The government also broadened anti-money laundering regulations to include crowdfunding platforms that collected donations for the truckers and required them to register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
On Feb. 21, the House of Commons voted to pass a motion approving the use of the Emergencies Act. Trudeau revoked the Act two days later saying it was no longer needed.
Barnes criticized the Trudeau government’s seizure of the bank accounts of hundreds of people who donated to the convoy, saying that “the arrogance and elitism of Ottawa’s political establishment was fully exposed.”
“Nothing stokes fear among the political elites more than widespread civil disobedience. They see themselves as wise and benevolent masters, empowered by their privilege to guide society. Tamara Lich and every single trucker, farmer, and freedom convoy supporter who stands up to them, exposes them for who they really are,” Barnes wrote.
“So the question remains, why is Tamara Lich still behind bars in an Ontario jail? The same authorities that worked so hard to ensure she couldn’t stay now won’t let her leave.”
Smearing Protestors ‘Defamatory and Desperate’
Throughout the Ottawa demonstration, the Liberals and NDP repeatedly referred to protestors as extremists, accusing them of being associated with hate groups. During a parliamentary question period on Feb. 16, Trudeau told Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman, who is Jewish, that her party stands with people who wave swastikas.
“Now, more than ever, we need to get back to the foundational principles handed down to us from our ancestors. Equality before the law. Economic freedom. Individual opportunity. These aren’t just buzzwords. They are the mortar that holds society together.”
“Only when we get back to these foundational principles, will we be able to reach our full potential.”