“Criminalizing Dissent”

OTTAWA—Lawyers for Helen Grus, an Ottawa Police Service (OPS) detective charged with discreditable conduct after investigating the vaccination status of the mothers of deceased infants, have asked for her disciplinary hearing case to be dismissed, saying prosecutors had failed to prove the charges against her.

“Our position is that the tribunal should move for a dismissal of the disciplinary proceedings against Detective Helen Grus,” defence lawyer Bath-Sheba van den Berg said during a police disciplinary hearing in Kanata, Ont., on Jan. 8.

The pandemic may be over, but the legal battles over various government restrictions and mandates continue. A plethora of cases have made their way through the courts this year and will continue through 2024. In these cases, judges are deciding the limits of Canadians’ freedoms and government power.

One of the most prominent cases is the ongoing trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. Another is the so-called Ingram decision in Alberta, in which a judge ruled—on a technicality—that the province’s public health orders were invalid.

A $300-million proposed class-action lawsuit filed against convoy protesters, donors and organizers on behalf of people who live or work in Ottawa is facing another challenge, with lawyers arguing the case seeks to unfairly limit fundamental freedoms.

Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod heard arguments on Thursday for and against a motion brought under anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) legislation.

The legislation serves to protect people from vexatious lawsuits filed to silence opponents through legal and financial intimidation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear an appeal that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against former President Donald Trump.

The justices will review an appellate ruling that revived a charge against three defendants accused of obstruction of an official proceeding. The charge refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.

Canadian journalist @rupasubramanya testifies to U.S. Congress about Justin Trudeau's government de-banking 800 Canadian citizens, urging Americans to fight the authoritarian illiberalism that threatens freedom globally.

🔥🔥🔥

Rupa tells the story of how Danny Bulford, 41, a… pic.twitter.com/W63BpoAZXt

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) November 30, 2023

h/t Mauser

OTTAWA – The lawyers involved in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers are finally confronting the central question of the case: whether or not the 2022 protest that gridlocked Canada’s national capital for weeks was a legal expression of Charter rights.

Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, two of the most prominent leaders of the protest, have maintained that their only objective throughout the convoy was to organize and oversee a peaceful and legal demonstration, and that they encouraged people to follow the law.

Long-awaited legal arguments over the protections afforded by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the provisions of the Criminal Code will form a “central issue” as the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber turns to the defence to mount its case.

The 2022 convoy demonstration raised fundamental legal questions, experts say, surrounding the charter-protected rights of protesters when their actions interfere with the property rights of ordinary citizens.

Tamara Lich’s defence team says there’s no evidence to support that she and a fellow Freedom Convoy organizer should be viewed as co-conspirators in court, because their actions were not illegal.

The Crown finished its case against Ms. Lich and Chris Barber on Nov. 20.

An Ontario tribunal has initiated a new hearing for a Windsor police officer appealing his conviction and penalty for a donation to the Freedom Convoy in 2022. A defence lawyer said the prior conviction was “unduly harsh” and disregarded the officer’s freedom of expression.

In the arena of justice, it is far too easy to exaggerate when we see injustice occurring, and we might be prone to resorting to hyperbole when we assess innocent people to be the victims of unjust charges and a ravenous, perhaps politically motivated, justice system.

But it is difficult to attend the trial of Freedom Convoy personalities Tamara Lich and Chris Barber and not marvel at how all of this has come to pass.

The judge in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected to deliver a ruling Friday about the admissibility of internal police documents as evidence.

Crown prosecutors and the Ottawa Police Service have argued the heavily redacted documents, which include emails and information about a software update for officers’ cellphones, are irrelevant or protected by solicitor-client privilege.