Our Leader of the New Blue Party of Ontario, Jim Karahalios, has proven to be a champion for truth and justice, time and time again.

Most recently, we have been provided with yet another example of Jim's commitment to standing up against injustice - this time representing a true Canadian hero!

For the last few months, Jim (in his capacity as a lawyer) has been representing Allen Remley, who faced multiple criminal charges for attending the "Trucker Convoy" protest in Ottawa.

Allen Remley, known by friends as "Al," is a father of four, grandfather of 16, and a former pastor that now spends weeks every year volunteering overseas. 

As a result of Al attending the Trucker Convoy, he faced criminal charges that led to a three-day trial in January that saw provincial Crown lawyers call multiple witnesses to the stand. 

But in the end, Al was found not-guilty and acquitted of all charges!

Click here to read a recent news article about the case.

This is the first acquittal from criminal charges laid by provincial Crown lawyers against someone that attended the Trucker Convoy in Ottawa.

This is excellent news to say the least!

Andrew Lawton of True North News had this to say about the legal victory:

"This is an important outcome in the realm of Convoy criminal cases.  This isn't just the withdrawal of a charge by prosecutors, but a mischief trial resulting in an acquittal."  (Note: True North News did not respond to a request for an interview with Jim and Al to discuss the case.)

It is also a significant legal victory that had an immediate ripple effect and sets a legal precedent for other Convoy-related cases that are still to be tried.

A few days after the decision, three individuals who were set to stand trial for similar charges had their charges dropped. 

And a couple of weeks later, provincial Crown prosecutors made a request to try to remove the same judge that heard Al's case from overseeing the trial against Tamara Lich.

This verdict is one that must be celebrated by freedom-loving Canadians across the country.  

The Trucker Convoy resulted in thousands of Canadians traveling to Ottawa to protest draconian COVID-19 policies.

And despite the protest being mostly peaceful, many participants ended up facing criminal charges for their presence in Ottawa. 

Al was one of those individuals unfortunately charged, but thanks to his principled stand in not backing down, and with help from Jim, he was acquitted of all charges.

Allen Remley is a Canadian hero and we are lucky to have him as a local activist in the New Blue Party of Ontario.

And of course, Jim has long been a champion of truth and justice, since founding the Axe the Carbon Tax campaign in 2017 and now as our New Blue Party Leader.

The verdict in Al’s case was not only a victory for the accused, but for all Canadians who cherish their right to free expression and peaceful protest. 

We could not be more proud of Al and of Jim and hope that others facing similar charges will be able to benefit from this precedent setting decision!

Unfortunately, Al's fight isn’t completely over - as following his acquittal, provincial Crown lawyers took the very rare step of appealing the decision. 

The appeal is set to be heard later this summer.

We will be sure to update you on the progress of the case, and in the meantime let's continue to pray for Allen Remley and show him our support!

Annie Nolan
New Blue Party of Ontario