Among those cheering Donald Trump's recent re-election as a victory over left-wing tyranny, there is one group in particular who has personal reasons to celebrate. That's about 1,400 Americans charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, protests at the Capitol.
While these defendants and their families await the pardons that President Trump has hinted at, other prisoners are languishing in prisons across the North. Although Canadians are not subject to the president-elect's direct authority, their fate could also depend on actions Trump takes during his second term in office.
Pressure from Mr. Biden emboldened Trudeau to invoke the Canada Emergencies Act, which gives the federal government additional powers in the event of a national security threat.
Like the January 6 protests that preceded it, the movement, which became known as the Freedom Convoy, was a large-scale, decentralized movement against the authoritarian injustice of the Liberal government, the Liberal Party of Canada. It was a spontaneous uprising.
nationwide rebellion
It began in January 2022, when Canadian truck drivers organized several separate convoys to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations to cross the U.S. border. As these convoys converged in the capital, Ottawa, the movement evolved into a nationwide revolt against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's strict regime of pandemic restrictions.
Freedom Convoy ignited fires around the world, drew praise from former President Trump, and inspired many similar protests, including the People's Convoy here in the United States. For three weeks, thousands of Canadians demonstrated in Ottawa and across the country, disrupting traffic and blocking various border crossings.
In fact, the protests were so effective that they drew the ire of the Biden administration, which, as it did then, aggressively prosecuted anyone involved in the January 6th “insurrection.”
The Democratic Party's policy was to make these protesters co-conspirators in the worst attack on America since 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. Therefore, participants guilty of trespassing were at best subject to additional spurious charges such as “entering and remaining in a restricted building” or “disorderly conduct.” .
Sentencing also continues to be unduly harsh, especially in cases that do not involve violence or property damage, much less clear intent to overthrow the government. One such notable example is
Christian SecorHe is currently serving 42 months in federal prison, primarily for sitting on Vice President Pence's Senate seat.
Biden intervenes
It was this authoritarian zeal that President Biden brought to the situation in Canada, America's largest trading partner and a longtime ally with which it shares the world's longest undefended border. Pressure from Biden encouraged Trudeau to invoke the Canada Emergencies Act, which would give the federal government additional powers in the event of a national security threat, a move Trudeau had opposed from the beginning. I was considering it.
The crackdown was swift and relentless. Four men were arrested that night in one of those protests, which Prime Minister Trudeau used to justify the use of the controversial emergency law.
in front That was activated.
The arrests were made at a protest in Coutts, a small village located where Alberta Highway 4 enters Montana and becomes Interstate 15. Coutts is one of the busiest border crossings across the Prairies and was a particular concern for both Biden and Trudeau.
royal railway
On February 13, 2022, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided a protest site in Coutts, arresting 13 people and charging many with mischief and other nuisance charges, and later that week they did the same in Ottawa. was indicted.
Based on unrecorded and unverifiable testimony from undercover agents, four of those arrested were charged with “conspiracy to murder police officers” after using flawed warrants to seize hunting rifles. He was indicted on heinous charges that shocked the nation.
The four, who later became known as the Coutts Four, were held without bail for two years while awaiting trial, despite having no criminal or violent history.
Two of them, Jerry Morin, 43, an electrician, and Tony Olynyk, 42, a trucking, drilling and quarrying company owner, were kept in solitary confinement, a recognized form of confinement, for extended periods of time. Ta. For a country like Canada, which leads United Nations peacekeeping operations and has a proud tradition of defending civil rights and democracy around the world, this is certainly outrageous torture.
conspiracy of silence
During the two years these men were incarcerated, Canadian media said nothing about their treatment or the dubious and vague nature of their charges.
The allegations about the Coutts were cited in the raid on Prime Minister Trudeau's invocation of the emergency law before it was heard in court, and a separate Superior Court ruling found that Trudeau's invocation was justified. Nevertheless, it is still considered a legitimate factor.
“Unreasonable” and “unjust”.
To this day, very few Canadians, let alone Americans, know what happened to the Coutts Four.
Morin and electrician Chris Lyzak, 50, were eventually released in February 2024.
plead guilty For less.
Mr Morin's confession to the “gun-trafficking conspiracy” is widely understood to have been coerced by keeping him in isolation. His appeal is pending. During the trial, the undercover agents' “firearms” that Morin claimed to have handled were proven to be socks, underwear, and a guitar.
Lysak pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally handling a gun, a crime that could easily be applied in a country where gun rights are not protected by the constitution and owning a handgun is nearly impossible.
It's also a very strange coincidence that Lysack and Morin were released about a week after Tucker Carlson appeared on the Alberta stage.
mentioned their case. So far, Carlson has emphasized the plight Totally Coutts Four's.
A collusion case?
The other two, Olynyk and Chris Carbert, were finally brought to trial more than two years after their arrest. They were acquitted of conspiracy to murder police officers.
was convicted of a crime Charges of misdemeanor criminal mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
In sentencing the two men, the judge effectively conducted an “end run” over the not-guilty verdict, turning their peaceful protest into a violent crime in which a man drove his car into Canada's parliament, then roamed around with a gun and aggressively attacked them. He compared it to another case where he was looking for a politician. shoot.
As if that wasn't enough evidence of the political nature of the case, evidence purportedly showing that Attorney General Stephen Johnston broke the law in bringing the case against the Coutts was sealed. Given what we know
suspicion of collusion Had there been negotiations between Johnston and the RCMP, it is likely that the case against the four Coutts would have been thrown out.
Mr. Olienick and Mr. Carbert remain in custody on politically trumped-up charges, serving six-and-a-half years in prison.
Like the Biden administration, he vowed to spend the last two months trying to achieve even gains (as if to avenge the Democrats' humiliating defeat in the polls)
Details of the January 6th arrestPrime Minister Trudeau has no regrets about antagonizing his own people.
trump vs trudeau
So what can Trump do once he takes office in January?
Although the two leaders have had a reasonably good relationship, Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet have spent much of their time badmouthing President Trump in the Canadian Parliament. President Trump's new cabinet nominees
I took notes And his relationship with Prime Minister Trudeau is off to a rocky start.
There is also the issue of Prime Minister Trudeau's plummeting popularity within Canada. Members of his own party have recently urged the prime minister to resign, leaving him more vulnerable than at any time in his career.
This presents ideal conditions for President Trump to pursue the Coutts Quad issue, perhaps in trade policy negotiations or while pointing out Canada's failures.
Keeping the NATO promise Or fully fund your own military.
And, of course, Canada tends to admit a surprising number of illegal immigrants, including hundreds of terrorists.
cross the border And then to America.
MAGA diplomacy
By publicly recognizing the Coutts, like many of the Freedom Convoy protesters, as political prisoners persecuted by an overzealous and politically motivated government, President Trump is threatening Canada's freedom. He will be a great service to his many beloved fans. still convicted Peaceful protesters to this day.
Such approval would underscore President Trump's commitment to undoing the damage caused by the Biden administration, while also urging Canada to protect its citizens' freedoms.
Now that both countries have made amends for their shameful treatment of their own citizens, the United States and Canada can build an even stronger relationship based on mutual prosperity and security.
