(LifeSiteNews) – Leader of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Maxime Bernier had choice words after learning today that Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber received a house arrest sentence, calling it “excessive and unfair.”
“This is much better than the ridiculous 7 years in jail demanded by the crown, but it’s still excessive and unfair,” noted Bernier on X.
“Neither of them should have been found guilty of anything.”
Bernier blasted the fact that, today in Canada, many criminals get away without any punishment for doing far worse.
“Meanwhile, all those who SYSTEMATICALLY VIOLATED OUR RIGHTS during the covid years got off scot free,” he wrote.
Today, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after they were convicted earlier in the year of “mischief.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.
Interestingly, Perkins-McVey said of Lich and Barber during today’s sentencing, “They came with the noblest of intent and did not advocate for violence.”
Specifically, Barber was handed an 18-month conditional sentence, with a concurrent three-month sentence for counseling disobedience of a court order, which can be served in the community.
Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 and a half months.
Both Lich and Barber must remain in their house for the first 12 months, except for medical emergencies and certain appointments. They are allowed to work and can leave their house for certain permitted activities for up to five hours once a week. They were also given a curfew and 100 hours of community service.
Bernier was one of the few Canadian political figures who spoke out against COVID mandates and jabs, as well as those who supported the Freedom Convoy in 2022.
He before called Lich and Barber’s guilty verdict, handed down early this year, as something akin to a “political witch hunt.”
Lich and Barber were initially arrested on February 17, 2022, meaning their legal battle has lasted longer than three years.
The Crown is also seeking an order to seize Barber’s truck, which was used during the protest.
Despite the peaceful nature of the Freedom Convoy, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act to clear out protesters, an action a federal judge has since said was “not justified.” During the clear-out, an elderly lady was trampled by a police horse, and many who donated to the cause had their bank accounts frozen.
