Canadian Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich released on bail

One of the primary organizers of the Canadian Freedom Convoy protest, Tamara Lich, was granted bail after being held for nearly three weeks on mischief charges for her actions.

Superior Court Justice John Johnston said a prior judge had made “errors in law” in her late-February decision to deny Lich bail. The judge added that the charges she faces are at a “lower scale” than other offences where bail was granted.

“I find that Ms. Lich does require a level of supervision if released,” Johnston said, hut he noted that can be “managed” by the surety supervising her bail.

John Carpay, the president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which has been providing representation to some of the convoy participants, said Lich’s custody was “highly unusual.”

Carpay went on to say that Lich has no criminal history and had not been charged with a violent crime. “People accused of drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession and violent offences are routinely granted freedom prior to trial,” he noted.

A news release from the Justice Centre characterizes Lich as a “political prisoner.” Lich is now set to be released on a total of $25,000 in bond with the agreement that she will not protest COVID mandates or use any form of social media, and she will be required to return to her home in Medicine Hat, Alta. 

Lich had been arrested on February 17 and charged with counselling mischief, jus the day before police began to disperse the crowds that had gridlocked downtown Ottawa for three weeks using powers invoked under Trudeau’s federal Emergencies Act.

When Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois ordered Lich detained, Lich’s lawyer, Diane Magas, was prompted to make allegations of bias.

The bias, according to Magas, comes from the fact that Bourgeois ran as a Liberal candidate in 2011 prior to be appointed as a judge, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before he became a party leader and prime minister, apparently praised her as a federal candidate.