Tamara Lich, one of the main organizers of the “freedom convoy” that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks, was released on Monday on $25,000 bond.
Ms. Lich, 49, of Medicine Hat, Alberta, was arrested and charged on February 18 with “counselling others to commit the offense of mischief”. On February 22, she had not been able to obtain her release on bail, the judge Julie Bourgeois, of the Court of Ontario, estimating that her detention was “necessary for the protection and the safety of the public”.
But Ms. Lich’s lawyer then challenged this decision in Superior Court. He questioned the impartiality of Judge Bourgeois, who had been a Liberal candidate in the 2011 federal election and who said her own community had been affected by the protests in Ottawa.
On Monday, Judge John M. Johnston, of the Superior Court, recognized no basis for this thesis. However, he found several other errors of law in Judge Bourgeois’ decision.
Judge Johnston concludes that the risk associated with the release of Ms. Lich, raised by the trial judge, could be reduced by the new bail, of $25,000, proposed by the defence.
Ms. Lich will also have to respect several conditions, in particular not to have contact with the other organizers of the convoy and to leave Ottawa within 24 hours.
Support as far as London
Crowds of demonstrators moved to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill in late January with heavy trucks and other vehicles to protest the federal Liberal government, mandatory vaccinations and health restrictions related to COVID-19 .
Tamara Lich was described as the “public face” of the convoy. At a press conference less than a week after the start of the protest, one of the lawyers assisting the participants called Ms Lich “the spark that started this fire and the leader of this organisation”.
Her supporters argue that Tamara Lich is a political prisoner. At the weekend, some gathered outside the Ottawa prison, where she is being held, to demand her release.
The prolonged protest in Ottawa has sparked similar blockages at major border crossings across the country, and the repercussions are still being felt around the world, as far away as London on Monday.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived at 10 Downing Street to meet his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, over the Ukraine crisis, he was greeted with a chorus of swear words.
The British protesters demanded the release of Ms. Lich and repeated the same swear words aimed at Mr. Trudeau as those launched in Ottawa a few weeks earlier.
The police want to restore trust
Meanwhile, Acting Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell promised on Monday to restore community confidence in his municipal police force after the end of a protest that filled the streets of the federal capital with noise. horns, diesel fumes and roadblocks on street corners.
Ottawa police have often been criticized for failing to evict protesters quickly or simply enforce municipal bylaws. Many blamed the municipal police for having allowed anarchy to settle in the streets of the city center.
Amid the turmoil, Ottawa Police Service Chief Peter Sloly resigned, the chairman of the Police Oversight Board was removed from his post and several other members of that Police Services Board slammed the carries out of solidarity.
“Over the past month, the people of Ottawa have had to endure severe disruption, fear and uncertainty caused by the illegal protest in our city,” Chief Bell wrote in a statement Monday. “It is therefore natural that we have questions about the direction of the Ottawa Police, and it is important that we answer these questions directly. »
Mr. Bell promises in particular that the service will continue its internal investigations into “cases of inappropriate conduct by members of the police in connection with the illegal demonstrations” and that it will set up a joint committee to review the use of force.
“We are, and will remain, an organization focused on cultural and systemic change,” says Bell.