Pat King, one of the lead organizers of the convoy that gridlocked downtown Ottawa in the winter of 2022, has been found guilty of five of the nine charges against him.
Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland read his verdict Friday to a courtroom that was full to bursting, with so many of King’s supporters attending that the jury booth was converted to overflow seating.
Justice Hackland ruled there was “overwhelming evidence” that King intended to “effect an occupation,” and later said that he “took delight in creating as much distress as possible.”
At issue during King’s lengthy trial was the extent of his involvement in the protests, where supporters from across Canada converged in Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates. The charges stemmed from accusations that he was one of the lead organizers of the blockade, which choked off parts of the downtown core for almost a month.
The judge disagreed with Natasha Calvinho, King’s defence attorney, who had argued that he was merely a protestor and was not a leader of the convoy.
Much of the Crown’s evidence came from videos that King posted and live streamed on Facebook. On his page, which now has over 300,000 followers, he documented much of the lead-up to the convoy, his own journey east from his home in Red Deer and his time protesting in Ottawa prior to his arrest.
King was found guilty on two charges of mischief, both of which stemmed from the truck horns that blared throughout the convoy. King encouraged his followers to honk even after an injunction had outlawed such activity in the downtown core. His violation of the injunction also caused him to be found guilty on two counts of disobeying a court order – all four of these charges carry a maximum sentence of two years each.
While King was found not guilty of obstructing a police officer, he was found guilty of counseling others to do so, which also carries a maximum sentence of two years. Justice Hackland found that King himself had not done anything illegal during his interactions with the police, but he had encouraged others to disobey orders.
King was found not guilty on all three of the intimidation charges he faced. The judge ruled the only one with any possible merit was that related to the “slow roll” King had organized to impede traffic around the Ottawa airport, but that his actions were part of a peaceful protest and were not meant to intimidate anyone.
As a condition of his bail, King is only permitted to post social media content that has the explicit goal of fundraising to cover his legal fees. Regardless, he has given some insights into his future plans. In one video, posted last July, he claimed he was going to file an “epic” lawsuit after his trial was complete, though he did not specify what the nature of the suit would be. He also joked that, in lieu of money, he would be willing to accept damages in the form of being permitted to personally fire all 338 members of the House of Commons.
After hearing the judge’s verdict, King said outside the courtroom that he intends to appeal and promised to go “right to the Supreme Court.”
King’s sentencing is expected to take place Jan. 16. The court is expected to deliver its verdict in the cases of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two other convoy organizers, on Tuesday.
