Marilyn Burns, the defence attorney representing Anthony Olienick, described the prosecution of her client and his co-accused, Chris Carbert, as “political” and “un-Canadian” during her opening remarks on July 11 in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Burns described the prosecution of Olienick and Carbert as a “political criminal trial” that was “un-Canadian.”

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. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

The RCMP, federal government, and Alberta’s provincial government conducted themselves inappropriately in investigating and prosecuting her client, Burns stated. She told jurors they would be, “at the very least, disappointed with how Canada's own RCMP conducted themselves before and after the process.”

She added that “the conduct of Alberta’s provincial government and Canada's federal government [are] entwined with the RCMP”.

Burns addressed the RCMP’s use of female undercover investigators in its investigation of her client at the Coutts demonstration. She said her case would reveal to jurors “to what extent these undercover officers have lied to you.”

She alluded to a sexual aspect with respect to the undercover female investigators targeting her client. “A pretty little woman caught his eye,” she said of her client, adding that Olienick “looked for love in the wrong place.”

Olienick was concerned about Canada being degraded “economically, socially, [and] politically,” and engaged in behaviour “commonly known as prepping.”

In its closing arguments, the Crown played audio of phone calls intercepted and recorded by the RCMP involving the defendants. In one call between Olienick and his mother, the defendants said of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “He’s a f*ckin’ terrorist.”

Olienick went on to predict disorder across Canada driven by the Trudeau government. “You know where it's going,” he stated. “He wants war … It’s gonna be crazy times.”

He told his mother that people in the village of Coutts supported the protesters.

“Everybody in the town supports us,” he remarked. Olienick’s mother noted Trudeau’s refusal to negotiate an end to mandated intake of mRNA injections marketed as COVID-19 “vaccines” by the government. “He doesn't say anything about the mandates,” she said.

The trial has dates scheduled at the Lethbridge courthouse until Friday, July 19. Future dates will be scheduled if needed.