OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre offered his thoughts on the house arrest sentencing of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, wishing them a “peaceful” life while stopping short of blasting the sentence as his fellow MPs did. 

“Tamara Lich and Chris Barber peacefully protested the imposition of emergency measures that the Federal Court found to be unlawful and unconstitutional. Instead of pursuing rapists, drug dealers, and other monsters, the Crown sought lengthy prison sentences,” he wrote on X late Tuesday.

Poilievre said that Ontario Justice Heather Perkins-McVey “rightly rejected the Crown’s request and sent Tamara and Chris home to their families.”

“We must get to a justice system that ensures the security and freedom of all Canadians. I wish Chris and Tamara a peaceful and happy life.”

Poilievre’s comments in regard to Lich and Barber’s house arrest sentencing were rather tame compared with those of some Conservative MPs.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer condemned the Freedom Convoy leaders’ trial as “political persecution.”

Yesterday, as reported by LifeSiteNews, People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier had choice words regarding Lich and Barber’s sentencing, calling it “excessive and unfair.”

On October 7, Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after they were convicted earlier in the year of “mischief.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.

Perkins-McVey said of Lich and Barber during the sentencing, “They came with the noblest of intent and did not advocate for violence.”

Specifically, Barber was handed an 18-month conditional sentence, with a concurrent three-month sentence for counseling disobedience of a court order that can be served in the community.

Lich was given 18 months less time, taking into account the 15 1/2 months she already spent in custody.

Both Lich and Barber must remain in their house for the first 12 months except for medical emergencies and certain appointments. They are allowed to work and can leave their house for certain permitted activities for up to five hours once a week. They were also given a curfew and 100 hours of community service.

In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.

During the clear-out of protesters after the EA was put in place, one protester, an elderly lady, was trampled by a police horse, and one conservative female reporter was beaten by police and shot with a tear gas canister.

Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23.