Conservative MPs publicly support ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers ahead of sentencing

Tamara Lich leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after the verdict was delivered in her trial with fellow Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber, on Thursday, April 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA — Several Conservative MPs are criticizing the Crown’s approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” protests, with the party’s deputy leader calling it an act of “political vengeance.”

Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill for more than three weeks in early 2022.

Lich has posted on social media that the Crown is seeking a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Barber.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X today comparing the proposed sentences to other offences that came with less severe punishments, asking, “How is this justice?”

In her own social media post, deputy leader Melissa Lantsman calls the Crown’s approach “political vengeance and not actual justice,” while Conservative MP Andrew Lawton says it’s “excessive and vindictive.”

The judge in the case is set to announce the sentences on Wednesday, after taking into account submissions from the Crown and the defence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025

Sarah Ritchie and Craig Lord, The Canadian Press