Defendants in a Freedom Convoy lawsuit have asked a court to release just over $450,000 in frozen funds so that they can pay for legal representatives in an upcoming public inquiry into the Emergencies Act. The inquiry, which will begin on Oct. 13, seeks to hold the federal government “to account for its decision to declare a public order emergency under the Emergencies Act” against the Freedom Convoy protest in downtown Ottawa this winter.
The protest began on Jan. 29 and ended on Feb. 20. It started out as a demonstration by truck drivers opposing the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border travel but grew exponentially when supporters from across the country joined in to call for an end to various other COVID-19 mandates and restrictions as well.
The requested amount is part of the over $20 million the Freedom Convoy received through crowdfunding platforms GoFundMe and GiveSendGo in February. More than $5 million of the donations was put into escrow via a Mareva order by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Feb. 17—pending the outcome of a proposed class action lawsuit. Convoy organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and Benjamin Dichter are among the defendants named in the lawsuit filed in the same court by lawyer Paul Champ on behalf of public servant Zexi Li, “downtown residents, businesses and workers.” The plaintiffs hope to seek $306 million in damages.