No Bail Again for Coutts Men as Conspiracy of Silence Continues
702 days in custody and counting for Canada's political prisoners
So Chris Carbert, one of the Coutts Four, who had made yet another bail application late last year learned on Monday, (January 15, 2024) that his bail had been denied, again. So he, like the three other men who are his co-accused, Chris Lysak, Jerry Morin and Tony Olienick, will soon see their second anniversary behind bars, with no bail, no trial and no justice. These men were all charged with, among other more minor crimes, conspiracy to commit murder of police (RCMP), as a result of raids and arrests carried out by the RCMP during the Coutts border blockade protest that took place in Coutts, Alberta in support of the Freedom Convoy in February of 2022.
Chris Carbert with his children in happier times.
But, one has to wonder, as these four men have been languishing in remand centres in Alberta, virtually ignored by the media, by the politicians and essentially the entire justice system, for coming up on two years in custody without bail and without a trial–where the real conspiracy is–because it certainly is a conspiracy of silence. In a country where even accused cop killers can get bail these four men can’t.
The reasons for this disturbing situation remain vague because of a publication ban on the pre-trial phase of court cases—more silence imposed by the Supreme Court. The case thus far, has been clouded with rumours of prosecutorial misconduct, late disclosure of evidence to the defence by the Crown, the resignation of lawyers and often harsh treatment of these men while in custody. Their new trial date is five months away, set for May of 2024 and they were originally charged on February 14th 2022! What has happened to the right to a speedy trial, in this country, particularly when the accused are in custody? These are serious questions that legal organizations such as the Canadian Bar Association, The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and other human rights groups should be asking, not to mention politicians and political leaders in particular as well as police and the media –yet the silence is deafening..
And who are the judges and Crowns that have allowed this circus to continue on and on? Why aren’t they being held accountable? Who was the judge who had Chris Carbert spend almost three months to make his bail application only to have it denied? His initial bail hearing, after it had been granted by that judge in the fall of 2023, took place on December 20th, giving him some faint hope that he might be home for Christmas. The judge, however, after hearing arguments from the Crown and the defense, reserved the decision on whether he would be released, until January 8th, 2024. Then on January 8th that same judge delayed announcing the decision for yet another week, putting it off until January 15th; then only to deny his bail application. Well that judge’s name is Johnna Kubik, she is a federal judge, appointed by the Trudeau Liberals and has donated to the Liberal Party 26 times–but nothing to see here.
According to her, if she were to release Chris Carbert on bail, the public would lose faith in the justice system. What a joke! Talk about another case of cognitive dissonance. It is because of this travesty of justice that the public has aready lost faith in the justice system. It is because of the Trudeau government’s ridiculous bail policy that gives bail to accused murderers, and pedophiles and violent repeat offenders, who only commit more crimes, while out of bail — that public has lost faith in the justice system.
Now, I don’t how to describe the behaviour of Judge Kubik, in the handling of Carbert’s bail application as anything other than a special type of cruelty. First she grants the bail hearing for Carbert, so he and his lawyer are put through the motions of presenting evidence and monetary sureties to support his release; then to hold that bail hearing just before Christmas to give him some faint hope that he might spend Christmas with his family; and then delay her decision until after the new year; and then to delay it another week before announcing that his bail is denied and for what – just for fun? It is like a cat toying with a mouse. That, I would conclude, is a form of mental abuse, which could send even the most stable person over the edge. Yet no one in the system seems to care about the mental health of these men. Thankfully through their faith and tenacity and the support they get from their families and a growing number of other advocates and supporters, they are somehow holding it together, but for how much longer who is to say.
The only media present for the decision on Carbert’s bail application was independent journalist Mocha Bezrigan, who has been covering the Coutts case from the beginning. In his report he noted that in the courtroom, where two rows of seating were normally reserved for media are no longer designated as such, due to the lack of interest in the previous hearings for these men. The temperature in Lethbridge was minus 50 degrees celsius on January 15, but still a number of Carbert’s supporters turned out to hear Judge Kubik’s decision. Bezirgan interviewed a few of those supporters including Carbert’s mother, Betty Carbert–the words outrage and disappointment would be the manner in which to describe the comments he elicited.
Betty Carbert, Chris Carbert’s mother.
Despite efforts of many of their supporters, the detainment of the Coutts four, often in substandard conditions that include, lack of health care, long stints of solitary confinement through no fault of their own, very restricted visitations of family, and poorly equipped confinement facilities – remains a story very few know about.
As I asserted in my last article on the Coutts four, the mainstream media’s coverage of them assumed their guilt from the get go.
The word ‘alleged’ was never used in any of the stories that were written by the media shortly after their arrests–even though the law requires a presumption of innocence. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) was often used as a primary source to paint these men as members of some far-right insurrectionist group–but CAHN is a far-left leaning organization which is heavily funded by the Trudeau government–which makes their objectivity highly questionable. But once the media narrative was established about the men the rest of their story has been buried, never to be heard again.
The Alberta based independent news outlet The Western Standard did a brief report on Carbert’s bail hearing, relying primarily on Bezirgan for most of the details. So, when we will hear more about the Coutts Four in the mainstream media or even independent media, or from politicians or human rights organizations is anybody’s guess.
But, Margaret ‘Granny’ McKay, who has been supporting and advocating for these men since their arrests isn’t giving up. In this Facebook post she makes a passionate call for action from asking people to write letters to, or call the the Federal Attorney General, Arif Virani, to enlisting churches to start advocating on behalf of these men.
Why the silence from all parties—from the media to the Liberal government itself, in what is clearly an unjust and indefensible situation remains a mystery—and who is controlling this silence? It is clear they are political prisoners, but what the end game for the men in all of this is anybody’s guess. But if the truth does come out will heads roll, or will no one be held accountable for one of the biggest injustices in recent Canadian history? In the meantime, spread the word and support these men, if you are able. They all have crowdfunding accounts with GiveSendGo.
As Autonomoustruck(er)s said in his Newsweek articles; the timing of their arrests was to justify envoking the EMA by PMJT.
The crown knows it screwed up. Now it’s looking for a way to cover it’s behind because it knows that no jury will ever convict these men once the hear the evidence. The 4 men have to be kept quiet until after the next election and the only way to accomplish that is by doing what they are doing.