(Ottawa) Lawyers for both sides in the trial of the main organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” are working to prevent the proceedings from reaching an impasse.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber face charges related to their roles in the protest that blocked streets in downtown Ottawa for three weeks last year, as several people demonstrated against health restrictions related to the COVID-19.
The Crown had estimated it would take about 10 days to present its case during the trial, which was initially scheduled to last 16 days.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Chris Barber
But as the trial enters its third week in an Ottawa courtroom, only two of the Crown’s planned 21 witnesses have appeared so far.
Legal wrangling over the admissibility and disclosure of evidence has slowed the proceedings, and lawyers have been grappling over the past week over the best way to move forward.
Judge Heather Perkins-McVey says the goal is to ensure the trial is fair for everyone and that they will achieve that eventually.