Chris Carbert testified in his own trial during Thursday’s proceedings in Lethbridge, AB, after Marilyn Burns – counsel for his co-accused, Anthony Olienick – concluded her arguments on Wednesday. Katherin Beyak, Carbert’s attorney, waived her option to offer opening arguments and proceeded immediately to examination of her client.

Carbert and Olienick are accused of conspiring to murder police officers during their time at the 2022 Coutts protest and blockade, a peaceful and civilly disobedient demonstration against the decrees, edicts, and orders issued by different levels of government and marketed as “public health” measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

The two defendants are also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm for a dangerous purpose. Olienick is additionally charged with unlawful possession of an explosive device for a dangerous purpose. Both have pled not guilty to all charges against them.

Beyak asked Carbert about the status quo of his life in 2021, the year prior to his participation in the Coutts demonstration. Carbert stated that government orders marketed as measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission did not significantly affect his landscaping business – which he described as a “build your backyard” operation – given the nature of the work being outdoors.

“Eventually things got weird,” Carbert stated, in terms of continually shifting governmental restrictions upon constitutional rights. “I began to lose trust in ‘the science’ and the government.”

Carbert said he did “a lot of research … an excessive amount of research” related to content produced by “virologists, doctors, [and] scientists” and “watching podcasts” in relation to COVID-19 and the mRNA injections marketed as “COVID-19 vaccines”.

“I wasn't exactly trusting the vaccine all that much,” he recalled, sharing some examples of false claims related to the “COVID-19 vaccines” pushes by institutions of power, including descriptions of the injections as “100-percent safe and effective,” and claims that “you can't get COVID [and] you can't give COVID” after receiving the shots.

Carbert added that “changing doctor narratives” and “censorship of [dissident] doctors” further deepened his skepticism of false claims pushed by the government and ancillary institutions.

Carbert testified that he was offered $1,500 from the government – he did not specify what level of government – to induce his employees to “get vaccinated”. “There was no way I was taking it, because I didn't trust it,” he added.

When asked if he owned firearms, Carbert replied, “Lots of ‘em.”

Carbert denied having had certain conversations about firearms or explosives with Olienick, as was claimed in testimony by a female RCMP undercover operator (UCO) in earlier proceedings. He also denied having firearms brought to him by Jerry Morin, a former co-accused of his, on February 10, as per the Crown’s allegation. He further rejected a female UCO’s claim that “a bomb” had been brought to the Coutts protest.

“I did not know that it was going to work,” Carbert said of the Coutts demonstrators’ goal of ending the government’s “mandating vaccines or vaccine passports”. He added, “Just like Ottawa, I thought Ottawa was a good statement, as well, telling the government we had enough.”

He emphasized his view of the Coutts demonstration, “I felt that it was important [and] a good statement.”