SASKATCHEWAN – The prairie wind blew quieter Sunday, but the return of Chris Barber stirred hearts across Saskatchewan. Rolling back into his home province behind the wheel of his iconic 2004 Kenworth truck “Big Red,” Barber took to social media with a message of gratitude, resilience, and prairie pride.
“We just got to keep standing,” Barber said to his 89,000 Facebook followers, his voice thick with emotion. “We had such a huge impact on so many Canadians. My heart’s right here in the prairies on the old dusty highway.”
For many in Saskatchewan, Barber isn’t just a trucker. He’s a symbol of defiance, of standing tall when the weight of the government feels too heavy. His return comes at a time when his livelihood hangs in the balance. Big Red, the truck that led the 2022 Freedom Convoy and countless long-haul journeys, was the subject of a federal government forfeiture hearing that was held earlier this month at the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa.
A truck, a trial, a family’s fight
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is defending Barber, says the truck is Barber’s primary source of income. Losing it would mean more than financial hardship, it would mean stripping away the very tool that keeps his family afloat.
They argue the federal government’s move to seize Barber’s truck is punitive and unjust. Barber was found not guilty of most of the charges against him stemming from the convoy protest. He was found guilty of mischief and the federal Crown is seeking a lengthy prison sentence for Barber and his co-accused Tamara Lich from Alberta. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Lich, posted on social media earlier this month, “Not only are they seeking an eight-year jail term for Chris Barber, they want to take away his livelihood and completely destroy him.”
Convoy fallout
Barber and Lich led thousands of Canadians to Ottawa in January 2022, protesting pandemic mandates and federal policies. The protest, dubbed the Freedom Convoy, triggered the federal government’s unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act, a move later ruled illegal by Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley.
“There was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act,” Mosley wrote, calling the government’s actions unreasonable and a violation of Charter rights.
The federal government is appealing that decision.
Prairie resolve
Despite the looming court dates and the threat of his livelihood, Barber remains grounded on the prairie soil that raised him.
“Get home today, get the truck set up for trucking tomorrow, haul the drill,” he said on a social media livestream Sunday. “Do more forfeiture hearings tomorrow and Thursday. And we’ll prepare to head to Ottawa for sentencing on the 7th of October.”
As Big Red rumbled down the backroads of Saskatchewan returning home to Swift Current, Barber stood alongside a field with a message.
“I just had to come on here and say thanks to everybody for all the prayers and the warm wishes. None of the support’s there. I see it every day.
“And it’s evident that we had a hell of an impact on people all across this country when we took a stand in February 2022. And no matter how hard the government continues to try and crush us, we’re all still there. We’re all still standing for what we believe in, and I appreciate all the support. So thank you.”
lisa.joy@saskcrime.ca
