LIVE UPDATES: Tamara Lich Trial trickles onward

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The trial of two Freedom Convoy organizers enters Day 22 in Ottawa, as Tamara Lich and co-accused Chris Barber contest several non-violent charges against their person.

In February 2022, the Convoy demonstrations drew thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to oppose the draconian public health mandates imposed by the federal government and provinces.

According to the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC), the weeks-long protest in front of Parliament Hill was rooted in a "loss of faith in government" and "economic hardship" caused by their response to the COVID pandemic.

Commissioner Paul Rouleau acknowledged a "diversity" of views among the protestors, of which some supposedly desired to commit "dangerous acts," including an 'occupation' of the nation’s capital, and several border blockades at the time.

Among its chief advocates include Lich and Barber, who face charges of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation. The former has spent 49 days in prison as of writing.

While the Commissioner considered the Emergencies Act an "appropriate" and "effective" deterrent to the Convoy protests, he admitted that other "reasonable and informed people" could reach different conclusions on invoking the Act.

Rouleau would openly criticized the feds for not adequately preparing for the Freedom Convoy, which could have avoided the measures taken under the Emergencies Act, he said.

It is not a "tool of convenience" but a "tool of last resort," added Rouleau.

Follow along with updates from Robert Kraychik below:

Day 22 of the Chris Barber/Tamara Lich trial begins; Ottawa Police Service legal counsel Vanessa Stewart is in the courtroom, presumably to advise the judge of OPS documents/communications sought by the defense teams via a disclosure request which the OPS and Crown both claim are…

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) October 26, 2023

Eric Granger, Tamara Lich's co-counsel, says two groups of documents sought by the defense to be fully disclosed (without redactions) is consistent with a Supreme Court precedent for disclosure set in 1991 by R. v. Stinchcombe.https://t.co/1diuD0HH7bhttps://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) October 26, 2023

Prosecutor Tim Radcliffe says one of the two batches of documents sought by the defense teams - relating to data that was "wiped' from two OPS Police Liasion Team (PLT) officers' phones - was fully redacted at the request of OPS counsel Vanessa Stewarthttps://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) October 26, 2023

Two Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Police Liasion Team (PLT) officers who testified as Crown witnesses in this trial said their work phones were wiped as a result of some sort of system or phone update/upgrade. https://t.co/ZDfF9Oah9Whttps://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) October 26, 2023

Adam Blake-Gallipeau is smart, competent, and well-dressed. TDF is worth following for important amd interesting information regarding the Chris Barber amd Tamara Lich trialhttps://t.co/V6IIkd8uiZ

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) October 26, 2023