Trial of the “freedom convoy” | Judge allows Ottawa residents to testify

(Ottawa) Eight Ottawa residents will be allowed to testify at the criminal trial of two organizers of the “freedom convoy,” the judge presiding over the trial ruled Wednesday.

Tamara Lich and Chris Barber face charges related to their roles in organizing the protest that brought thousands of large trucks to Ottawa, where demonstrators remained for three weeks.

M’s lawyer^me Lich, Lawrence Greenspon, asked the judge not to let the residents testify, arguing that their testimony would be irrelevant.

M^me Lich and Mr. Barber have already filed signed confessions in court in which they acknowledge that the actions of certain individuals who participated in the demonstration had interfered with public transportation as well as with the employment or lawful enjoyment of property and property. businesses.

Judge Heather Perkins-McVey says the defense cannot force the Crown to accept the confession, and will allow the witnesses to be heard.

Banning residents from giving evidence “would cause unfair or irreparable harm” to the Crown’s discretion to present evidence as it sees fit, Ms.^me Perkins-McVey in court in his ruling Wednesday.

The Crown plans to call five Ottawa residents as witnesses in this case, to describe what they saw and experienced during the “convoy” demonstration. They include Zexi Li, who is the lead plaintiff in a class action against the organizers on behalf of people who live and work in downtown Ottawa.

The other three residents on the Crown’s witness list are the owner of a women’s clothing store, a National Arts Center employee and the public transit operator.

Judge Perkins-McVey said she would ensure that evidence heard in court was relevant to the charges against Ms.^me Lich and Mr. Barber, rather than akin to victim impact statements about how the protest personally affected the witnesses.

Prosecutors want local witnesses to tell the court how the disruption caused by the protest and intimidation from demonstrators played out in the streets.

Paul Champ, M’s lawyer^me Li said her client would have preferred not to testify in this case. However, he told the Crown it would do its civic duty if called to the stand.

“It’s unfortunate that the Crown is calling him. There are a lot of other people she could call,” Mr. Champ said in an interview on Wednesday.

M^me Li became the face of Ottawa residents who felt negatively affected by the “freedom march” when she went to court seeking an injunction against honking horns during the protest, Champ said. She also testified about the experience of Ottawa residents during a federal inquiry into the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act during the protest.

M^me Li has since been subjected to harassment and abuse, Champ said.

M^me Lich and Mr. Barber are accused of mischief and of counseling others to commit misdeeds and intimidation, among other things.

The first 13 days of the trial took place in September. The procedures resumed on Wednesday, after a break of two and a half weeks. There is still no indication of how long the trial is expected to last.

On Wednesday afternoon, the court was due to return to the testimony of the first witness in the trial: Sergeant Craig Barlow, of the Ottawa police cybercrime unit.

He compiled a video featuring footage of the protest from the police perspective, using body cameras and drones, as well as other footage.

His testimony was interrupted during cross-examination when it became clear that he had brought videos that were not included in his compilation or disclosed in advance to the defense.

He told the court in September that he had watched “months” of footage of the convoy protest recorded by police, protesters and media, dating back to March 2022.

The cross-examination was scheduled to continue Wednesday afternoon.