Could You Be Arrested for Protesting a Hockey Trial in 2026?
The New Canadian Compliance State
Canada isn’t sliding into tyranny — it’s sprinting, smiling, and calling it “progress.”
Could You Be Arrested for Protesting a Hockey Trial in 2026?
On the courthouse steps in Toronto, protestors showed up day after day to voice their outrage at the high-profile sexual assault trial involving five junior hockey players. They carried signs, chanted slogans, and confronted reporters. There were no riot police. No asset seizures. No Crown lawyers demanding 8-year sentences for mischief.
Now imagine that exact same scene—but it was in support of the truckers.
Would the legal system react the same way?
Would the government shrug and say, “Charter rights”? Or would they bring down the hammer?
The answer may lie in a dangerous legal framework quietly being constructed beneath our feet.
The Trap Is Being Set
Three legal developments now threaten the right to protest in Canada—especially if your politics run counter to the regime:
The Lich/Barber Sentencing – Convicted of mischief, facing 7–8 years, with the Crown pushing fraudulent victim statements and threatening asset seizures. Their real crime? Humiliating the government.
Ontario’s Bill 5 (2022) – Officially about “protection of infrastructure,” this Doug Ford bill introduced vague new penalties for “interference” with anything deemed critical. The list includes highways, airports, railways, and yes—courthouses.
Federal Bill C-5 (2022) – Ostensibly a bill to reduce mandatory minimums, it also expands conditional sentences and introduces criteria that could allow selective enforcement based on perceived threats to social order. Translation: what the Crown feels is dangerous becomes more important than what the protestors actually do.
The Protest Table (2026 Edition)
It’s not about the act. It’s about the narrative.
The Media’s Double Standard
CTV and CBC devoted hours of coverage to the hockey trial protestors—detailing their pain, amplifying their voices. They praised their persistence. Called them brave.
But the sentencing of Lich and Barber? Silence. No op-eds. No profiles. No pundits asking what it means for our democracy when non-violent protestors are treated worse than violent criminals.
Because the media doesn’t exist to ask questions. It exists to enforce lines.
Final Thought
The question isn’t whether protesting will be legal in 2026. The question is whether protesting the wrong thing will make you a criminal.
And if that doesn’t terrify you, you haven’t been paying attention.
The boots are being laced. The courts are being armed. And the next time you raise your voice, they won’t need to pass a new law.
They’ll just point to precedent.
And you’ll be next.