Convoy Marks Anniversary as ‘Coutts Four’ Remain Jailed Without Bail

Anti-mandate demonstrators gather as a truck convoy blocks the highway to the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., on Jan. 31, 2022. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

A convoy of cars and trucks traveled to Coutts, Alberta, to show support for four people who have been in jail for over 700 days in connection with the 2022 border blockade in that community.

The vehicles travelled back and made a slow roll in front of the remand centre in Lethbridge, where one of the accused, Chris Carbert, is being held, according to Media Bezirgan’s account on X, formerly Twitter.

The men, Mr. Carbert, Christopher Lysak, Jerry Morin, and Anthony Olienick, were all arrested during the Freedom Convoy protests on attempted murder charges in February 2022.

The RCMP said they found firearms, ammunition, and body armour in three trailers located near Coutts. The men have been accused of conspiracy to murder RCMP officers.

Shortly after the arrests, demonstrators abandoned the Coutts protest site because they did not want their message overshadowed by the arrests of the four men, who police said were not part of the original demonstrators.

The demonstration was part of Canada-wide convoy protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic-related restrictions.

Pre-Trial Delay

Pre-trial court proceedings for the four accused were pushed back to Feb. 5, 2024, after one of the men parted ways from his lawyer in December 2023.

A trial had previously been scheduled for June 2023, but the proceedings were delayed until Dec. 11, with the lawyers hoping the trial could be moved to a different venue.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about the men during a speaking event in Calgary on Jan. 24.

“Given that the media outlets, the big ones in Canada are organs of the state, literally, we don’t really know anything about what these four men have been accused of doing. Don’t you think it would send a powerful message to go visit them in jail and find out what they’ve been accused of?” he asked.

Ms. Smith responded by referring to an incident where she and preacher Artur Pawlowski, who was charged in connection with COVID-19 restrictions, were talking on the phone and she agreed to inquire about his case and report back to him.

“What I have learned is that ... the Crown operates independently, prosecutors have to make sure that they have a reasonable likelihood of conviction, and I guess they will have to assess whether or not that is the case,” she said.

The provincial ethics commissioner found that Ms. Smith had contravened a section of the Conflicts of Interest Act in a conversation she had with the then-Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro in relation to Mr. Pawlowski.

The report concluded that there was no evidence that Ms. Smith or her staff tried to influence prosecutors.

“I truly wish I could do more, but I’ve had my wings clipped in the last year,” Ms. Smith told Mr. Carlson.