Sentencing hearing for 'Freedom Convoy' organizer King underway, decision weeks away

"Freedom Convoy" organizer Pat King returns to court following a break in Ottawa on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — “Freedom Convoy” organizer Pat King’s sentencing hearing is underway but a decision is still weeks away, according to the presiding judge.

In November, Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland in Ottawa found King guilty on five counts, including mischief and disobeying a court order.

He was found not guilty on three counts of intimidation and one of obstructing police.

King could be facing as much as a decade in prison and the Crown is pushing for significant time behind bars.

His defence wants the sentence limited to time served and probation.

King was one of the most prominent figures in the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” protest which attracted thousands of demonstrators to Parliament Hill in January 2022 fighting against public-health restrictions, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the federal government.

The event gridlocked downtown streets around Parliament Hill, with area residents complaining about the fumes from diesel engines running non-stop, and unrelenting noise from constant honking of horns and music parties.

Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee began the sentencing hearing with a community-based victim impact statement from Sarah Davis, executive director of the emergency shelter Cornerstone Housing for Women.

Davis described the convoy protest’s effect on residents at the shelter — many of them women fleeing domestic violence. She said residents lost sleep due to protest participants honking their truck horns and felt unsafe when leaving the shelter.

Davis said that after convoy participants entered the shelter at one point during the protest, the shelter had to hire security.

After Davis’s testimony, Hackland asked Karimjee why she hadn’t been called as a witness during the trial. The judge described the testimony as similar to that of a downtown resident which informed his verdict.

Hackland said there is no way at this stage in the trial to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis' allegations are linked directly to King.

Karimjee argued that it’s been proven King is broadly responsible for the convoy and its effects on Ottawa residents.

He said he wants to see the community-based victim impact statements cited as aggravating factors in sentencing.

King’s attorney Natasha Calvinho argued that if the Crown wants to use these statements as aggravating factors, they need to be called as evidence.

After a lengthy back-and-forth on the issue, Hackland suggested that the Crown proceed with victim impact submissions and said the defence would be given an opportunity to object.

Once Karimjee brought forward additional case law following a lunch break, Hackland said he would consider Davis' victim impact statement on the basis of it demonstrating the impact of the convoy protest on a vulnerable population, in this case, women fleeing abuse.

The hearing is scheduled to continue Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press