OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Conservative Member of Parliament Jeremy Patzer has condemned the Freedom Convoy leaders’ trial as “political persecution.”

In an October 7 post on X, Patzer reacted to the sentencing of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, noting that while the two avoided jail time, the Liberal government dragged them through years of legal battles as its own form of punishment.

“Glad to hear that jail time was averted, although this sentencing is still a reach,” he commented. “This case was nothing more than political persecution. Chris and Tamara created a situation that made Justin Trudeau look bad, and they paid the price.”

This case was nothing more than political persecution. Chris and Tamara created a situation that made Justin Trudeau look bad, and they paid the price.

As of early June, the federal government… pic.twitter.com/1decbyrjYz

— Jeremy Patzer (@jeremy_patzer) October 7, 2025

Legal battles for Barber and Lich, organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy which protested COVID mandates, began in September 2023. The trial spanned 45 days of hearings over about 13 months, ending September 2024.

In April 2025, the pair were found guilty of “mischief.” Then began the three-month-long sentencing process from July 2025 to October 2025. Yesterday, Barber and Lich were sentenced to 18 months of house arrest, along with a curfew and 100 hours of community service.

In total, their legal process lasted over 25 months and cost Canadian taxpayers over $21 million dollars.

Patzer argued that “whether or not you agreed with Chris and Tamara, this is wrong. There is no excuse for these proceedings to have been dragged out this long over mischief.”

Indeed, while they did not receive jail time, Barber and Lich’s lengthy legal battles may discourage other Canadians from publicly opposing the Liberal government. Patzer argued that this is just what Liberals intended.

“When the government takes you to court, it is the process, not the penalty, that breaks you,” he said. “The goal of this whole farce was to break Chris and Tamara with the full institutional weight of the Crown because of Justin Trudeau’s political emergency.”

Despite the peaceful nature of the Freedom Convoy, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act (EA) to clear out protesters, an action a federal judge has since said was “not justified.” During the clear-out, an elderly lady was trampled by a police horse, and many who donated to the cause had their bank accounts frozen.

As reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, a federal audit did not mention the false claims the government made against the Freedom Convoy, which were used to allow Trudeau to impose the EA to clear out the protesters.

Indeed, in 2023, as reported by LifeSiteNews, disclosed records showed that Canada’s Department of Public Safety fabricated a security bulletin that claimed the Freedom Convoy protesters had plundered federal office buildings in an apparent attempt to discredit the movement.

Despite enduring years of legal battles, Lich’s comments on social media have revealed that her spirit is far from broken.

“Thy will, not my will, be done,” she wrote in an October 7 post on X, before receiving her sentencing. “Trust His plan.”

“No matter what happens today, as Chris Barber told the truckers over the cb radio on our trip out a few years ago, ‘We’ve already won, guys,'” she continued.

Thy will, not my will, be done.

Trust His plan.

Thank you Canada, and everyone around the world who has sent love, prayers and support.

No matter what happens today, as Chris Barber told the truckers over the cb radio on our trip out a few years ago, “We’ve already won,… pic.twitter.com/nvZSlZ0b7Z

— Tamara Lich 🇨🇦 (@LichTamara) October 7, 2025