Chris Barber and Tamara Lich have been found not guilty of most charges against them for their roles in the 2022 truck convoy protest in Ottawa.
Barber and Lich each faced six charges including mischief, intimidation, obstructing police and counselling others to do the same.
On Thursday at the Ottawa courthouse, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey found the pair not guilty of four charges apiece relating to intimidation and obstructing police.
They were both found guilty of committing mischief. Perkins-McVey also found them both guilty of counselling to commit mischief themselves, but that finding was stayed at the request of Crown lawyers.
Barber alone was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order. Lich was not charged with this.
All told, Barber was found guilty of two charges, not guilty of four and had a seventh stayed. Lich was found guilty of one, not guilty of four and had a sixth stayed.
In her ruling, Perkins-McVey said protesters had a right to political expression, but ruled they crossed legal lines. The decision focused on the specific actions and statements made by Lich and Barber to encourage ongoing protests that were impacting the city.
Crown prosecutors have signalled they would seek jail time; the maximum penalty for mischief is ten years. The two are expected to be sentenced later this year.
Trial spanned more than a year
In January and February 2022, Barber and Lich led thousands of people and brought trucks to Ottawa, protesting pandemic mandates and other federal Liberal government policies.
The protests, which organizers called the Freedom Convoy, led to significant disruptions, prompting the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. Whether invoking the act was legal is still being litigated.
Pat King and other prominent figures in the protests were found guilty on similar charges.
Both Barber and Lich had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial began in September 2023 and concluded in September 2024.
Lich told CBC News last year that she would appeal a guilty decision.
