The judge presiding over the trial of two organizers of the Freedom Convoy protests has ordered access to internal police documents. Justice Heather Perkins-McVey requires unredacted copies of police communications to determine if they should be admitted as evidence. She needs to assess whether these documents are protected by solicitor-client privilege and if they are relevant to the credibility of police liaison witnesses.
Defense lawyers representing Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, who are on trial for their involvement in the large-scale demonstration against COVID-19 public health measures in early 2022, have requested access to emails that reveal what evidence police officers were asked to provide for the case. Specifically, they want to see any instructions given to officers regarding updating the software on their cellphones after the protest, as an update apparently deleted messages between Mr. Barber and Ottawa police Const. Nicole Bach, a key contact for Mr. Barber.
However, the defense has only received heavily redacted documents in response to their request. The Crown and Ottawa police claim that the omitted information is either irrelevant or protected by solicitor-client privilege. The admissibility of the internal police documents needs to be determined by the judge before defense lawyers can cross-examine Ottawa police Sgt. Jordan Blonde, who described himself as a secondary contact for Mr. Barber and is back on the stand today.
During Friday’s proceedings, Sgt. Blonde described “hostile” scenes leading up to a police operation to forcibly remove demonstrators from downtown Ottawa during the three-week protest in late January 2022. Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber face multiple charges, including mischief, counseling others to commit mischief, and intimidation related to the protests. The prosecution aims to demonstrate that the two organizers had influence over the actions of the protesting crowds. However, the trial has faced numerous delays due to challenges regarding the admissibility of evidence.