Chris Barber, who has been convicted and could be imprisoned for his part in organizing the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, is petitioning the court to stay proceedings before sentencing.
Barber testifies to have Freedom Convoy charges dropped | Western Standard | Jen Hodgson:
May 21, 2025 - "Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber [was] in court [May 21] for hearings related to a Stay of Proceedings application in an attempt to have his charges dropped.... Ontario Justice Heather Perkins-McVey found Barber and co-organizer Tamara Lich guilty of mischief for their involvement in the peaceful protest in Ottawa in January and February of 2022. The decision [was] released on April 3.... Diane Magas, Barber’s lawyer, filed the stay application on April 16, arguing Barber had sought legal advice during the time of the protest and acted in good faith with local authorities.
"Barber in his application argued 'the legal advice given to him … during the Freedom Convoy was erroneous and that, as a result, the Crown is not entitled to convict him,' said the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).... The application was filed one day after Barber learned the sentence the Crown was pursuing: two years in prison and the confiscation of Big Red [his truck].... If the judge approves the stay application, Barber will not go to prison, nor will his truck be seized."
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/barber-testifies-to-have-freedom-convoy-charges-dropped/64917
Will Chris Barber be jailed for peacefully protesting? Court to decide soon | Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (news release):
May 20, 2025 ""Mr. Barber’s legal team ... argue that he followed the advice of officials and the police in good faith during the protest and that the charges should be stayed despite his conviction for mischief and for counselling others to breach a court order on April 3, 2025.
"In court documents submitted to the judge, the Crown claims that there is no merit to Mr. Barber’s Application and that it should be thrown out. The Crown argues that he knowingly broke the law during the peaceful Freedom Convoy protest. The Crown is also demanding that Mr. Barber’s primary source of income, his 2004 Kenworth long haul truck, called 'Big Red,' be seized and forfeited to His Majesty the King.
"If Justice Heather Perkins-McVey of the Ontario Court of Justice grants the Application, sentencing would not proceed, and the charges would be stayed.... Diane Magas, Mr. Barber’s lawyer, explained that an 'officially induced error defence' is rarely used but that it is an appropriate defence in the particular circumstances of this case....
"'To imprison a man who sought and followed legal advice would bring the administration of justice into disrepute,' stated John Carpay, President of the Justice Centre. 'Mr. Barber consistently followed the legal advice that he received from police officers, lawyers, and a Superior Court judge.'"
Read more: https://www.jccf.ca/will-chris-barber-be-jailed-for-peacefully-protesting-court-to-decide-soon/
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