COVID-19
$290 million lawsuit against Freedom Convoy participants designed to silence expression

From the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
This lawsuit also seeks damages from citizens who donated to the peaceful protest.
Lawyers on behalf of Chris Barber, Tamara Lich, and other Freedom Convoy participants argue that the $290 million class action against them is designed to silence their expressionāexpression the public had an interest in hearing [Image by Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images]
OTTAWA, ON: TheĀ Justice CentreĀ announces that lawyers representing Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and other defendants against a class-action lawsuit brought by Zexi Li and other Ottawa residents will be in court this Thursday, December 14, 2023. Tamara Lich and the other defendants have filed an application to dismiss Zexi Liās $290 million class action as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)āa lawsuit designed to silence the expression of peaceful protesters.
In February 2022, Ottawa residents Zexi Li and Geoffrey Delaney, Happy Goat Coffee Company, and a local union commenced a $290 million class-action lawsuit against Chris Barber, Tamara Lich, and other Freedom Convoy participants, seeking damages against peaceful protesters for allegedly causing a nuisance. This lawsuit also seeks damages from citizens who donated to the peaceful protest.
Anti-SLAPP legislation serves to protect defendants against āStrategic Lawsuits Against Public Participationā (SLAPP)ālawsuits designed to silence a defendantās freedom of expression through threats of damages or costs. Anti-SLAPP motions are designed to end such lawsuits and are available to a defendant in any proceeding against them. Once an anti-SLAPP motion has been filed, the defendant must demonstrate that the proceeding against them arises from their expression that ārelates to a matter of public interest.ā If the defendant can demonstrate that their expression does relate to a matter of public interest, the plaintiff must then demonstrate that their lawsuit has āsubstantial meritā and that the defendant has no valid defence. A judge must then weigh the importance of the expression at stake against the importance of the plaintiffās allegations of harm.
Lawyers in the Justice Centre network argue that the proceedings against Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and others do, in fact, arise from their expression. Donating to and participating in the Freedom Convoy amounted to an expression of support for the protest, and of disagreement with the Government of Canadaās response to Covidāmatters of public interest. Further, lawyers argue that Zexi Liās class-action lawsuit contains factual and legal weaknesses; it is not obvious that the proceeding against the defendants has āsubstantial merit.ā Finally, lawyers argue that the defendants do have valid defences and that the value of the expression at issue outweighs the allegations of nuisance against them.
On Thursday, December 14, 2023, the parties will proceed to oral argument at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, arguing that the plaintiffsā entire class-action lawsuit is, in fact, a SLAPP action disguised as a nuisance claim and that the lawsuit is merely intended to punish the defendants for participating in the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest. If successful, all or part of the class-action lawsuit will be dismissed.
Lawyer James Manson stated, āZexi Liās lawsuit engages the very purpose that āanti-SLAPPā legislation was designed to address: an attempt to silence peaceful expression, and the right of defendants to participate in public debate.ā
John Carpay, President of the Justice Centre, stated āThe fundamentalĀ CharterĀ freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly must be vigorously protected and defended, whether they are attacked directly by government or indirectly through a misguided civil action.ā
COVID-19
Maxime Bernier slams Freedom Convoy leadersā guilty verdict, calls Canadaās justice system ācorruptā

From LifeSiteNews
The leader of the Peopleās Party of Canada says Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were victims of a ‘political witch hunt.’
The leader of the Peopleās Party of Canada (PPC) ripped Thursdayās federal court ruling that found Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber guilty of mischief, saying the court siding with the government amounted to a āpolitical witch hunt.ā
āIt is disheartening to learn that two of the heroes of the Freedom Convoy, @LichTamara and @ChrisBarber1975, have been found guilty of mischief in the longest and one of the costliest trials in Canadian history,ā Maxime BernierĀ wrote Thursday on X.
āThis clearly was a political witch hunt.ā
Bernier added that in his view the reality is that Canadaās justice system is ācorrupt.ā
āTrudeau and his ministers who illegally invoked the Emergencies Act and violated basic rights will go unpunished,ā he noted.
āOur justice system is corrupt to the bones.ā
On Thursday, Justice Heather Perkins-McVey, the federal judge overseeing the mischief trial, deliveredĀ her verdict, finding both Lich and Barber guilty of mischief.
Perkins-McVey seemed to agree with the Crownās case that Lich and Barberās influence on the Freedom Convoy constituted public mischief but did dismiss the Crownās Carter Application accusing Lich and Barber of conspiracy outright.
Lich and Barber both faced six charges each, those being charges of mischief, obstruction, intimidation, and counseling others to commit mischief and intimidation. After the court reconvened Thursday afternoon, Lich was acquitted of four of her six charges, with the fifth charge, counseling to commit mischief, being stayed by the judge.
As for Barber, the court found him guilty of mischief as a principal offender and as an aider and abettor. It also found him guilty on the charge of violating a court order.
As for sentencing, the court will reconvene on April 16 at 1:30 p.m. EST, at which time it will say when a date and time for sentencing will be held.
Lich and Barber both face aāÆpossibleāÆ10-year prison sentence. LifeSiteNews has reportedāÆextensivelyāÆon their trial.
The Lich and Barber trial concluded in September 2024, more than a year after it began. It was only originally scheduled to last 16 days.
Lich and Barber wereāÆarrestedĀ onāÆFebruary 17, 2022, in Ottawa for their roles in leading the popular Freedom Convoy protest against COVID mandates. During COVID, Canadians were subjected to vaccine mandates, mask mandates, extensive lockdowns and even the closure of churches.
Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act to clear out protesters, an action a federal judge has since said was ānot justified.ā During the clear-out, an elderly lady wasāÆtrampled by a police horseĀ and many who donated to the cause had their bank accounts frozen.
2025 Federal Election
Mark Carney refuses to clarify 2022 remarks accusing the Freedom Convoy of āseditionā

From LifeSiteNews
Mark Carney described the Freedom Convoy as an act of ‘sedition’ and advocated for the government to use its power to crush the non-violent protest movement.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney refused to elaborate on comments he made in 2022 referring to the anti-mandate Freedom Convoy protest as an act of āseditionā and advocating for the government to put an end to the movement.
āWell, look, I havenāt been a politician,ā Carney said when a reporter in Windsor, Ontario, where a Freedom Convoy-linkedĀ border blockade took place in 2022, asked, āWhat do you say to Canadians who lost trust in the Liberal government back then and do not have trust in you now?ā
āI became a politician a little more than two months ago, two and a half months ago,ā he said. āI came in because I thought this country needed big change. We needed big change in the economy.ā
Carneyās lack of an answer seems to be in stark contrast to the strong opinion he voiced in a February 7, 2022,Ā columnĀ published in theĀ Globe & MailĀ at the time of the convoy titled, āItās Time To End The Sedition In Ottawa.ā
In that piece, Carney wrote that the Freedom Convoy was a movement of āsedition,ā adding, āThatās a word I never thought Iād use in Canada. It means incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.ā
Carney went on to claim in the piece that if āleft uncheckedā by government authorities, the Freedom Convoy would āachieveā its āgoal of undermining our democracy.ā
Carney even targeted ā[a]nyone sending money to the Convoy,ā accusing them of āfunding sedition.ā
Internal emails from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) eventuallyĀ showedĀ that his definition of sedition were not in conformity with the definition under Canadaās Criminal Code, which explicitly lists the āuse of forceā as a necessary aspect of sedition.
āThe key bit is āuse of force,’ā one RCMP officer noted in the emails. āIām all about a resolution to this and a forceful one with us victorious but, from the facts on the ground, I donāt know weāre there except in a small number of cases.ā
Another officer replied with, āAgreed,ā adding that āIt would be a stretch to say the trucks barricading the streets and the air horns blaring at whatever decibels for however many days constitute the āuse of force.āā
The reality is that the Freedom Convoy was a peaceful event of public protest against COVID mandates, and not one protestor was charged with sedition. However, the Liberal government, then under Justin Trudeau, did take an approach similar to the one advocated for by Carney, invoking the Emergencies Act to clear-out protesters. Since then, a federal judge has ruled that such action was ānot justified.ā
Despite this, the two most prominent leaders of the Freedom Convoy, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, still face aāÆpossibleāÆ10-year prison sentence for their role in the non-violent assembly. LifeSiteNews has reportedāÆextensivelyāÆon their trial.
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