The criminal charges arising from the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa in February 2022 were by and large for the relatively innocuous infraction of mischief and, as the last of these cases finally conclude, most eyes are on the impending sentencing of protest leaders Chris Barber and Tamara Lich. But the sheer intensity of the prosecution of Convoy members whose activities were not as well-reported looks less like the fair administration of justice than revenge upon people who dared protest the arbitrary and oppressive measures of the Covid years. In her recently published book, Thank You, Truckers! Canada’s Heroes & Those Who Helped Them, Donna Laframboise tells their story. In the combined essay and book excerpt below, Laframboise counts the severe costs of challenging an overreaching government – while reminding us that millions of ordinary Canadians supported the Freedom Convoy and all it represented.
Christine Van Geyn: In Case of Emergency, Break Law? Why the Federal Court of Appeal Hammered Trudeau’s Use of the Emergencies Act
It’s a rare and beautiful thing to see Canada’s courts strike a blow for individual freedom, but that’s what happened in an Ottawa courthouse last