LIVE REACTIONS: Federal Court rules on Emergencies Act invocation during Freedom Convoy

Sheila Gunn Reid and Tamara Lich react to the Federal Court of Appeal releasing its decision on the Trudeau government's challenge of the ruling that found the Emergencies Act was unconstitutionally invoked during the Freedom Convoy.

The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to release its decision today after the federal government challenged a previous ruling that found the Trudeau government's invocation of the Emergencies Act unconstitutional.

In early 2024, the Federal Court ruled in favour of the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), concluding that the Trudeau government failed to satisfy the exceptionally high legal standard necessary to justify invoking the Emergencies Act and that its response infringed protections guaranteed by the Charter.

Almost immediately after the decision was released, the federal government confirmed it would challenge the ruling on appeal. That appeal was argued nearly a year ago, in February 2025.

This litigation stands as one of the most consequential civil liberties cases in recent Canadian history. At issue is whether the Emergencies Act meaningfully restrains government power by limiting its use to situations involving real threats to national security, or whether it can be invoked simply because a protest presents a political challenge.

The court’s ultimate decision will have lasting implications for the scope of state power, including the ability of future governments to limit peaceful demonstrations and apply extraordinary measures, such as financial restrictions, against citizens.

HELP FUND THE TAMARA PROJECT!

Tamara Lich is under house arrest — so how did we just hire her at Rebel News?

Tamara Lich, the leader of the trucker convoy, was sentenced to a year under house arrest.

She's only allowed to leave her home for medical appointments and church, and a few hours a week to buy groceries. She's not allowed to go out for dinner or visit friends or even go for a walk.

But there is another exception: she can leave her home for work.

So, with the guidance of Tamara's lawyer, Rebel News has offered Tamara a formal job as our new Community Ambassador. We sent the job offer to Tamara's probation officer, and walked her through it, line by line — including the parts about Tamara travelling. And to our relief, the probation officer approved it!

Tamara is going to go to events representing Rebel News, she'll write a new book and do a book tour too. And the most important part of Tamara's job will be our upcoming campus tour, where Tamara will go town by town, talking to young people about freedom and hope.

She is such a good role model and such a positive person, we truly think she'll help us win the battle of ideas with young people.

Unfortunately, Canada has seen increasing violence, too, including from Antifa thugs and pro-Hamas extremists. Just last week, a conservative professor, Frances Widdowson, was mobbed by left-wing extremists at the University of Victoria, and police did nothing to protect her. We simply can't have that happen to our Tamara.

So we've promised Tamara that we will protect her.

We will have professional security guards with her when she goes out in public to do journalism.

And when she goes on campus, we'll have at least four guards assigned just to protect her personally, and more to secure the larger venue.

It's outrageous that police and campus security won't protect conservatives. No other journalists or activists in Canada have to hire private security guards to keep them safe. At Rebel News, it's actually one of our largest expenses. It's unfair, but that's the world we live in.

Will you help me keep Tamara safe on her speaking tour?

Please help us fund the security costs for Tamara Lich's travel as our new community ambassador. Let's help Tamara and help keep her safe, too.

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COMMENTS

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-01-16 19:49:04 -0500
    Canadians are free to obey the government’s edicts, no matter how stupid they are. We won’t find any justice with the Laurentian Mafia running the country. In a sensible country, those folks would be doing hard time. We’ve let idiots and low-information stooges have their say. And of course the government will blame everybody else when Canada becomes a third world state.
  • Fran g
    commented 2026-01-16 17:35:57 -0500
    All the lib ministers mentioned plus trudumb and carnage belong in jail.
  • Shannon Brault
    commented 2026-01-16 13:20:53 -0500
    There. Is. NO. SUCH. THING. As. A. Justice. System! There is ONLY a legal system. Quit looking for justice! You’ll never find it anywhere.
  • Marilyn Hagerman
    commented 2026-01-16 13:18:24 -0500
    Kudos to you Tamara and every true Canadian who stood up for what we knew all along was honest and true. Ottawa needs to walk on their knees, arrange retribution for every persecution they’ve forced on the great people of this country!!
    Yet another Carney directed removal of Canadian freedoms…… just shot all to hell!
    Let’s all hope and pray the rest of his communist ideals also find no “resting place” in this country!
    Intelligent Canadians have known, and knew from the start….it was used to intimidate and incarcerate honest, law abiding Canadian citizens.
    A Marxist Carney attempt at full government control! This corrupt bastard and his equally corrupt crew in Ottawa needs to be extinguished NOW AND FOREVER!!!
  • Neil Stober
    commented 2026-01-16 13:18:00 -0500
    Chiarney is buddy buddy with China for a reason , he wants to make Kanada a clone of China
  • Emanuil Huluta
    commented 2026-01-16 11:50:27 -0500
    Greetings also to Sheila and Keith (that also I met on Rebel’s Alaska Cruise) to witch I wish the best of the best in all good and so much needed work you do.
  • Emanuil Huluta
    commented 2026-01-16 11:37:53 -0500
    Hello everybody, special greetings to Tamara (meetings and chats on Rebel’s Alaska Cruise last June) and Chris that I met personally during the last appearing in Ottawa court late last fall (with Tamara as well).