Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), and five other defendants had a court hearing in Outlook, Saskatchewan today..The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) defended the group for attending an outdoor protest and political gathering in Milden, Saskatchewan, on May 10, 2021. .The outdoor protest was a fundraiser for Christine Brown, Milden Hotel owner, who had the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) shut down her hotel for allegedly not enforcing the provincial mask mandate..The SHA prohibited outdoor gatherings of over ten people with a public health order at the time of the outdoor protest, in which Maxime Bernier took part in..RCMP conducted surveillance and enforced the public health order on the outdoor event..The RCMP officers are testifying until Wednesday and the trial will continue on October 4-6, 2022. The Saskatchewan Medical Health Officer and two expert witnesses will give testimony on Bernier and the other defendants’ behalf..“The restrictions on outdoor protests to 10 persons were not justified when they were issued and the continued prosecution of those who attend anti-lockdown protests is even less justified,” said Marty Moore, a JCCF lawyer..“The public health establishment cannot point to a single COVID case transmitted at an outdoor protest in Saskatchewan, yet a massive amount of prosecutorial resources, court time and defence efforts are being expended to prosecute people for peaceful outdoor protests.”.“The Crown has doubled down on these tickets and the government has refused to acknowledge the unconstitutionality of its restrictions on outdoor protests.”.Chris Oldcorn is a Western Standard Reporter based in Regina.,coldcorn@westernstandard.news,Twitter: @chrisoldcorn,.Parler: @chrisoldcorn
