Commentary
“Everyone,” says the Charter of Rights, has the fundamental freedom “of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” Everyone, that is, except Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the truckers’ Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa in January and February.
Most egregiously, under her bail conditions Lich must remain publicly silent pending the result of her court hearing in September 2023—including no social media use whatsoever—all for exercising her right to protest in a free country.
From February to July, we witnessed a shocking game of cat and mouse between the Crown prosecutor and Lich. Normally, 24 hours of incarceration upon arrest is the maximum amount of time a person is in custody until bail is set. Once the accused has bail, he or she is allowed back into the public until their trial, subject to their promises to keep the peace as the police or judge directs….