Convoy figure seeking U.S. asylum wanted on Canada-wide warrant

A key figure in the 2022 "Freedom Convoy" who's seeking asylum in the United States is being sought on a Canada-wide warrant after he failed to appear in court in Ottawa to face criminal charges for his role in the protest.

James Bauder, who left Canada this summer, is facing charges including mischief and intimidation. He claims he's being politically persecuted and said he's raised nearly $13,000 online to cover his legal fees.

Earlier this week, Bauder missed a Superior Court date in Ottawa, prompting a judge to order his arrest.

During the public commission investigating the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to end the 2022 protest, Bauder said he helped lead a smaller convoy to Ottawa in 2021 to protest public health rules.

During that trip, he delivered a "memorandum of understanding" (MOU) to the Senate and the governor general. It demanded the cancellation of COVID-19 measures and for then prime minister Justin Trudeau to step down for "committing treason and crimes against humanity."

Bauder was soon communicating online with other convoy leaders including Pat King, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, and by January 2022 they were on their way to Ottawa.

Bauder, a resident of Calgary before he fled to the U.S., has argued he's the victim of "political persecution" and tried to have his court case moved from Ottawa to Brockville or North Bay, Ont.

"I believe that I will not get a fair trial in Ottawa because I participated in a very high-profile, highly politicized, lawful protest directed at the federal government in Ottawa," he said during a February 2023 hearing, adding the city is full of government employees who are "not my peers."

That bid was rejected when a Superior Court justice told Bauder it was "baseless in fact and boils down to his concern that most Ottawa residents do not share his political views."

The Crown maintains there has been no political persecution in Bauder's case, and the judge overseeing the matter has been adamant the Superior Court is unbiased.

Bauder is also named in a class action by Ottawa residents seeking millions in damages over the 2022 protest and three-week takeover of the city's downtown.

Since he has been in the United States, Bauder has appeared at events and done interviews with affiliates of Donald Trump including MAGA influencers Roger Stone and Wayne Allyn Root, who vowed to personally deliver Bauder's asylum claim to the president.

Bauder's trial is scheduled for three weeks in November and December. Other key convoy protest figures including Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Pat King have been found guilty for their roles in the 2022 protest.