Chris Carbert's mother: 'I totally understand' Coutts protesters

Chris Carbert's mother, Betty, told Rebel News the government lacks evidence in its prosecution of her son – who is being charged with conspiracy to murder, weapons crimes, and mischief over $5,000 – after Thursday's pre-trial proceedings in Lethbridge, AB.

Carbert and Anthony Olienick are the two remaining defendants of the Coutts Four. The group previously included Chris Lysak and Jerry Morin, who accepted plea deals for lesser charges in February. Lysak and Morin had initially been accused of participating in the alleged conspiracy to commit murder, specifically targeting RCMP officers.

The pre-trial arguments remain under a publication ban set to expire when the jury is selected. Jury selection is expected to begin in the third week of April. Defence attorneys told Rebel News that the publication ban protects the defendants' interest in a fair trial with an impartial jury by preventing public dissemination of disputed evidence that may be deemed inadmissible or inaccurate to potential jurors.

The charges against the two relate to their involvement with the Coutts protest and blockade of 2022, a demonstration linked to the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, ON, via shared opposition to government edicts, orders, and mandates marketed as "public health" measures in response to COVID-19.

"This is just a big waste of time, energy, and money for all involved," Betty stated.

When asked about the rationale behind the Freedom Convoy and Coutts Blockade, Betty remarked, "I totally understood why they were at the border, because as soon as it starts affecting people's livelihoods, it's important that we the people let the government know how we feel."

In January, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley determined that Trudeau's invocation of the Emergencies Act, to further empower law enforcement to end the aforementioned protests, was unlawful and violative of constitutional rights.

The Coutts protest slowed – and at some points completely blocked – traffic across the Canada-U.S. border at the Coutts-Sweetgrass border crossing linking Alberta and Montana. It preceded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's invocation of the Emergencies Act, to broaden powers of law enforcement to suppress the two demonstrations.