Tamara Lich’s fight for Charter freedoms, which landed her in prison earlier this year, has now landed her an award.
Lich, a key Freedom Convoy protest organizer, is set to receive the George Jonas Freedom Award at a ceremony in Toronto on June 16, according to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).
“Ms. Lich inspired Canadians to exercise their Charter rights and freedoms by participating actively in the democratic process, and took the initiative to help organize a peaceful protest and serve as one of its leaders. The resulting peaceful protest in Ottawa awakened many Canadians to the injustice of Charter-violating lockdowns and mandatory vaccination policies,” the JCCF said in an April 26 statement.
“Ms. Lich has suffered for the cause of freedom by spending 18 days unjustly jailed, and exemplifies courage, determination and perseverance.”
The Freedom Convoy began in late January to protest the federal government’s COVID-19 mandate requiring all truck drivers returning to Canada from the United States to be fully vaccinated in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine.
As convoys of trucks drove across the country to stage the peaceful demonstration in Ottawa, the protest turned into a nationwide movement with many Canadians joining the call for an end to all pandemic-related restrictions and mandates.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to meet with the protesters or send representatives to engage with them, while repeatedly disparaging the convoy.
On Feb. 14, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the demonstration, giving police extraordinary powers to remove the protestors from downtown Ottawa and at Canada-U.S. border blockades held in solidarity with the convoy, although the border protests were largely cleared by the time the act was invoked.
Following the emergency declaration, Lich was arrested on Feb. 17 and charged with counselling to commit mischief. On Feb. 22, she was denied bail in a decision by Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois, who said that Lich’s detention was “necessary for the protection and safety of the public.”
Lich’s lawyer at the time, Diane Magas, launched a bail review, arguing that the decision may have been tainted by the fact that Bourgeois ran as a federal Liberal candidate in the 2011 election.
On March 7, Ontario Superior Court Justice Hon. John M. Johnston overturned Bourgeois’s decision by granting Lich bail. Though he said the argument for Bourgeois’s bias had no merit, he found her ruling was too subjective in its assessment of the gravity of Lich’s offences; weighing them against the impacts on Ottawa’s residents rather than other offences in the Criminal Code.
Lich was released on a $25,000 bond with several bail conditions, including avoiding contact with fellow convoy organizers and refraining from using social media or having someone do so on her behalf. Lich is appealing the bail terms and has hired high-profile criminal lawyer Lawrence Greenspon as her legal representative.
The George Jonas award honours its namesake—a renowned Canadian author, poet, and columnist who promoted freedom throughout his life, both before and after immigrating to Canada from communist Hungary.
In all of his compositions, freedom has been a “consistent and important theme,” the JCCF said. The annual award is given to an individual or entity that is recognized for a contribution to “advancing and preserving freedom in Canada.”
