A former MP is rallying support for a trucker sentenced to three months under house arrest for parking at the front of the Ottawa convoy.Jay Vanderwier was found guilty of two counts of mischief on March 19. Described by former MP Derek Sloan as a "strong family-man, a Christian, and a patriotic Canadian," Vanderwier had his truck parked at the front of the line in Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy in February of 2022. The bed of Vanderwier's truck became the launchpad for "Live from the Shed" a Youtube livestream that received tens of thousands of views during the convoy. He was on trial earlier this year in Ottawa fighting multiple criminal charges.Vanderwier was sentenced to 90 days house arrest last week. He has already submitted his appeal, and Sloan is rallying Canada to help with Vanderwier's legal costs. Those interested in doing so can etransfer to fundingthefight@proton.me, with the password "Freedom" and "Jay" written in the memo line.The judge is permitting the trucker to serve the sentence in the community, 45 days house arrest, and then 45 days of curfew. He is permitted to work and to attend church on Sunday. He then will have probation for a year, as well as a criminal record. Sloan, a lawyer, said this judgement is wrong."I disagree with this ruling wholeheartedly. Everyone knows the Trucker Convoy started out as a protest that was fully accepted by local police. They told the trucks where to park, shut-down certain streets and ushered them onto Wellington and other areas to position them. Then at some point, the police changed their tune, and all of a sudden this protest became an illegal occupation," Sloan wrote in an email blast."Where and when in law did that happen? There is no defined time, nor an answer to that question. The rhetoric of law enforcement and the government changed when it suited them to do so."Sloan suggested the prime minister was hypocritically harsh against protesters like Vanderwier."Jay is an upright and honest man who went to Ottawa based on conviction and principle. When other protestors come to Ottawa, Trudeau would gladly meet them, take a knee, drop the flag to half-mast for months on end, issue endless apologies, and more," Sloan wrote."But when these honest, hard-working Canadians came to Ottawa, he showed nothing but contempt. Through his cabinet, he tried to paint them as violent extremists and seditionists."Sloan said the right of Canadians to protest should never expire."(O)ur right to protest is not time limited. Nowhere in the Charter or any other document does it say we can protest, but only for a few weeks. While I do not agree with blocking critical infrastructure, such as when train tracks, resource pipelines or borders are impacted - that is certainly not the case when we are protesting at Parliament itself."If we cannot protest at the foot of Parliament, where can we protest? There isn't a more suitable place."Vanderwier’s defence argued against a harsh sentence.
A former MP is rallying support for a trucker sentenced to three months under house arrest for parking at the front of the Ottawa convoy.Jay Vanderwier was found guilty of two counts of mischief on March 19. Described by former MP Derek Sloan as a "strong family-man, a Christian, and a patriotic Canadian," Vanderwier had his truck parked at the front of the line in Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy in February of 2022. The bed of Vanderwier's truck became the launchpad for "Live from the Shed" a Youtube livestream that received tens of thousands of views during the convoy. He was on trial earlier this year in Ottawa fighting multiple criminal charges.Vanderwier was sentenced to 90 days house arrest last week. He has already submitted his appeal, and Sloan is rallying Canada to help with Vanderwier's legal costs. Those interested in doing so can etransfer to fundingthefight@proton.me, with the password "Freedom" and "Jay" written in the memo line.The judge is permitting the trucker to serve the sentence in the community, 45 days house arrest, and then 45 days of curfew. He is permitted to work and to attend church on Sunday. He then will have probation for a year, as well as a criminal record. Sloan, a lawyer, said this judgement is wrong."I disagree with this ruling wholeheartedly. Everyone knows the Trucker Convoy started out as a protest that was fully accepted by local police. They told the trucks where to park, shut-down certain streets and ushered them onto Wellington and other areas to position them. Then at some point, the police changed their tune, and all of a sudden this protest became an illegal occupation," Sloan wrote in an email blast."Where and when in law did that happen? There is no defined time, nor an answer to that question. The rhetoric of law enforcement and the government changed when it suited them to do so."Sloan suggested the prime minister was hypocritically harsh against protesters like Vanderwier."Jay is an upright and honest man who went to Ottawa based on conviction and principle. When other protestors come to Ottawa, Trudeau would gladly meet them, take a knee, drop the flag to half-mast for months on end, issue endless apologies, and more," Sloan wrote."But when these honest, hard-working Canadians came to Ottawa, he showed nothing but contempt. Through his cabinet, he tried to paint them as violent extremists and seditionists."Sloan said the right of Canadians to protest should never expire."(O)ur right to protest is not time limited. Nowhere in the Charter or any other document does it say we can protest, but only for a few weeks. While I do not agree with blocking critical infrastructure, such as when train tracks, resource pipelines or borders are impacted - that is certainly not the case when we are protesting at Parliament itself."If we cannot protest at the foot of Parliament, where can we protest? There isn't a more suitable place."Vanderwier’s defence argued against a harsh sentence.
