Lich is appearing before the Public Order Emergency Committee, which is looking into the federal government’s decision to invoke the emergency law that was never used to clear the crowds and vehicles that blocked parts of downtown Ottawa for three weeks. David Migikowski rejected a claim Leach made under oath Thursday that no one told her they had to leave after the state of emergency was invoked on Feb. 14. He showed her a police log, saying a police liaison team (PLT) had told protesters they had to leave and met with Lich and other organizers on February 16. “PLT advised them to leave and text others,” the log said. “All messages understood.” Tamara Lich appears as a witness at the Public Order Emergency Committee in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) “I remember when they came in and we had the conversation and as he says, I was really upset,” Leach said “I think I said something to the effect of, ‘I can’t believe you’re going to do this to your own people’ … I was crying about what they were proposing to do to Canadian citizens.” Lich said she was never told to leave. “It seems to me that your memory is selective,” Migikowski said. “When I take you to something that involves you, you have no memory.” Lich’s attorney, Brendan Miller, objected, calling the comments inflammatory. “That’s not the right question,” said an unrelentingly frustrated Miller. “I’ll go ahead,” Migikowski said
Lich said she was concerned with the vaccine mandates
Lich told the inquiry late Thursday that she joined the “Freedom Convoy” after failing to get a response from members of Parliament she emailed about ending the COVID-19 restrictions. “I became increasingly concerned with the orders and the harm I saw the orders were causing to Canadians,” he said. “I heard from people who had lost their jobs and lost everything. I have the tears of thousands of Canadians on my shoulders, who told me every day that we gave them hope.” Lich called the protest peaceful. He testified Friday that he was unaware of allegations that crowds sometimes mob police and law enforcement officers, and was unaware of any death threats against politicians until he began watching committee proceedings. Lich said she has also faced death threats. A lawyer for the government pointed to an Ontario Provincial Police report that had identified a disqualified driver who had made inflammatory statements. “The video also showed him displaying a protective vest, which he claimed would stop an armor round. He claimed he brought it to protect himself and had worn it in the blockade,” the OPP document said. “OPP officers have spoken with this man and his truck has been positioned in front of the Chateau Laurier since the beginning of the protest.” Lich said she was not aware of this incident.
Lich says she didn’t notice the honking from the hotel
On Thursday, Lich said the honking of truck horns, a feature of the protests, even became a little too much for her. “You know, trying to walk down the street and have a conversation with somebody was sometimes difficult,” he said. But on Friday, she said she couldn’t hear the truck’s horns from her downtown hotel room. “I didn’t really notice, the horns were honking. And I was right downtown.” WATCHES | Lich says she didn’t notice any honking from the hotel room:
Lich says she didn’t notice any honking from the hotel room
Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the self-proclaimed “Freedom Pact,” was asked about the interruption of honking during the truck rally. Lich received questions under cross-examination from attorney Paul Champ, who represents a coalition of downtown residents and businesses. “You wouldn’t want a big rig to pull up, say, in front of your parents’ house and park and idle for 24 hours a day for several weeks honking at them,” Champ asked. Lich replied that her ex-husband was a pusher on a drilling rig. “I’ve spent many days on a rig site and there’s a lot of diesel fumes and there’s a lot of noise,” he said. “Isn’t that pleasant?” Champ countered. “It is what it is,” Leach said.
Diagolon’s founder, a former RCMP sniper, will testify later
Lich and a fellow organizer, Chris Barber, were both arrested the day before hundreds of police in plainclothes moved to clear protesters from the streets around Parliament Hill in February. The pair have been charged with mischief, obstructing police and advising others to commit disorder and intimidation. Their trial is scheduled for next fall. Later today the commission will hear from Jeremy MacKenzie, the founder of the online group “Diagolon,” who will testify via video conference from a Saskatchewan prison. The commission confirmed Thursday that MacKenzie, who faces charges unrelated to the escort, will testify publicly despite attempting to speak to the inquiry under a publication ban. Other protesters on the witness list today include Chris Deering, Maggie Hope Braun and Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who was in charge of the prime minister’s security and resigned after refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
