This judgement must have thrown the mindless bots ie: fascist lovin’ Canadians, into a tizzy.
Tamara Lich will not be sent back to jail as a judge lifted her ban from entering Ontario, but ruled to reinforce her ban from social media in a bail review decision Wednesday.
“The courts are not a thought police,” Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips said as he rejected the Crown’s arguments that Lich should have her bail revoked over alleged breaches of her release conditions.
“We seek only to control conduct to the extent that certain behaviour will violate, or likely lead to violation of the law,” the judge continued. “Here, the objective was to keep a highly problematic street protest from reviving or reoccurring … No court would ever seek to control the possession or manifestation of political views.”
Lawrence Greenspon, Lich’s lawyer, said the judge’s ruling would allow his client to travel to Toronto to accept the award in person, and he confirmed she also intended to attend similar gala events in Calgary and Vancouver, where VIP tickets cost $500.
In a phone interview following the decision, Greenspon applauded the judge for “soundly rejecting” the Crown’s efforts to send Lich back to jail.
“From our perspective, this was a clear rejection of the Crown’s attempt to reincarcerate Ms. Lich for agreeing to accept a ‘freedom award,’ and, in light of this decision, she’s going to be able to go to Toronto and accept that award without fear of being reincarcerated.
It’s blows my mind that most Canadians don’t understand this move by the crown was solely and only intended to persecute one person- These same mindless bots wave their Ukrainian flags for ‘freedom” while simultaneously cheering on the loss of freedom in Canada.
“That’s a great relief to her,” Greenspon said. “This effort to reincarcerate her … the battle of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly … that battle will be fought at trial.”
The JCCF, a vocal supporter of the demonstration, issued a statement following the decision saying the revised bail conditions “still excessively restrict” Lich’s Charter rights, while saying the Crown went to “troubling” lengths to revoke her bail.Phillips also lifted Lich’s ban from entering Ontario in his revised bail plan and lifted her ban on entering the city of Ottawa, except for the geographical boundaries of the city’s downtown core.
A publication ban protects the reason Lich is seeking permission to return to Ottawa, and Phillips said he saw no issue with Lich attending a gala in Toronto months after the convoy had ended.
“The right between attendance at that function and problematic support for a demonstration that will, by then, have been long over, is so indirect as to be barely perceptible,” Phillips said.
The judge accepted Lich’s testimony that she saw no “live connection” between accepting the pendant — or accepting the award — and her support for the “Freedom Convoy.”
“I believe Ms. Lich when she says she does not see her acceptance of this award to be any sort of support for the ‘Freedom Convoy,’ because that initiative is over with,” the judge said. “I specifically reject the idea that she is responsible for what someone else did with a photo of her wearing a pendant.”
Lich has lived in her community for a “meaningful stretch” and demonstrated she can follow bail conditions, the judge said.
4 replies on ““The Courts are Not a Thought Police” Judge in Lich case.”
Hi Penny:
Yesterday I tried to put a comment on your previous post and was twice prevented. So this is a test. But commenting on the Tamara Lich decision I can say that the Judge who wrote it will never move up to a higher level in the court system. That’s the way our “justice system” now works.
Hi GC
you’re comments are through now-
pretty sure that judge’s decision was not favoured by the crown
Thanks, Penny. The ‘thought crime’ precedent-setting agenda of the Crown in this case was widely considered “disturbing”.
Geez, and I thought finally some sanity!