Guy Meister, a Canadian truck driver arrested during the peaceful 2022 Freedom Convoy protest, has received a conditional discharge and six months’ probation, avoiding jail time.Meister appeared in Ottawa court Friday for a sentencing hearing following his conviction on charges of mischief and obstructing police.“I’m incredibly grateful to the [Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms] and to all the Canadians who support its work. Their support reminded me that I wasn’t alone,” said Meister.The Crown had been seeking a 60-day conditional sentence to be served under house arrest, followed by 12 months of probation.Meister's legal counsel, Brian Doody, said he would have preferred no conditions but thinks, "it's being seen as a pretty good outcome. I'm happy for Guy. "I like that in sentencing in Canada you can raise arguments that during the trial might not have been enough to otherwise lead to an acquittal or get a charter remedy."In a post by Right Blend on X, the presiding judge said right away that, “he’s not sending [Meister] to jail.”The judge went on to state he took notice of the defence’s argument that economic activity was reduced at the time due to mandates, but also that “the impact was serious.”“This is not just a government city and the capital, it's a place where people live,” the judge said.He said the Freedom Convoy was indeed a mass mischief but would not dismiss the right to protest. He did, however, note, “rights must consider others' rights.”.Barber testifies to have Freedom Convoy charges dropped.Lawyers seek answers from RCMP and TD Bank over freezing of Freedom Convoy protester’s accounts .Meister will have to perform 20 hours of community service and has been hit with a $100 victim surcharge but, the silver lining is he will not have a criminal record as the conditional discharge means no conviction has been registered.According to Right Blend, after the sentencing, Meister said he was going to “miss” the judge and that he’s “welcome to visit his home” if he’s ever in Nova Scotia.Doody said that while they were celebrating a "sort of victory today," it had been built on many failed motions but the Canadian sentencing process allowed Meister's legal team to get points out in the open that might not have made a difference in the trial."It gives you a second chance," he said. When asked about the next steps and the possible of an appeal going forward, Doody said appealing Meister's sentencing was a "double-edged sword" and "expensive.""We've set the bar for sentencing so low," Doody said, stating that at the end of the day, it was up to what, "Guy wants." .‘HIGHLY POLITICIZED’: External review on RCMP management of Freedom Convoy released.On Feb. 18, 2022, Meister was sitting in a parked truck near the intersection of Rideau and Sussex in downtown Ottawa with a friend. Both had traveled to the capital to protest the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers.According to Meister, he was there to exercise his right to peacefully protest for the freedom of individuals to make medical decisions without government interference.At approximately 12:15 p.m., heavily armed tactical officers in full riot gear surrounded the truck. The officers, who bore no visible ID numbers on their uniforms, carried AR-15 rifles and hammers.One of the officers smashed the driver’s side window and arrested Meister’s friend, who was showered in broken glass. Another officer arrested Meister, who had his hands zip-tied behind his back and was taken into custody at gunpoint..CTV News called out for hiring ‘Fact Checker’ Rachel Gilmore, accused of spreading Freedom Convoy conspiracy theories.Meister was denied access to legal counsel and held in sub-zero temperatures for over three hours inside an Ontario Provincial Police transport vehicle, without access to a washroom. He was then transferred to a makeshift processing station with eight other detainees, who were taken into the processing trailer one at a time.Ottawa police forced him to sign an undertaking without being offered legal counsel, before being released into the cold streets of Ottawa. Meister’s question, “Don’t we even get to have a lawyer?” was ignored by police.He later found his vehicle had been impounded, with the windows left open and snow covering the interior seats, resulting in thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.Meister, who had no previous criminal record and a long history of community service, was later charged.His case went to trial on Feb. 24, 2023. Doody, argued that his client was arbitrarily detained and arrested in violation of his right not to be arbitrarily arrested or detained — protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
