Charges dropped for 'convoy' protest organizers accused of action at Furey's home in 2023

Charges were dropped on Thursday for two people accused of harassing Premier Andrew Furey and his family in July 2023.

Dana Metcalfe and Shane Sweeney were charged with criminal harassment and causing a disturbance after leading a "surprise convoy" protest outside Furey's home on July 9, 2023. 

In a video posted on Sweeney's Facebook feed, a line of honking cars and smoke flares were filmed as the narrator describes a "surprise convoy" on the premier's residence.

Metcalfe is a former People's Party of Canada candidate who helped organize Newfoundland's participation in the so-called "Freedom Convoy" to Ottawa in 2022. 

She described herself as "East Coast convoy leader" in a "Hug A Trucker" press conference after the invocation of the federal Emergencies Act in February 2022.

'Family frightened'

While Furey was not home at the time of the convoy, his young daughter was. 

He hasn't commented formally on the legal matter but told reporters that the situation was troubling.

"I will say this: when people step up to serve, they don't step up to have protests in their home, to have their children frightened, to have their family frightened," the premier said in September 2023.

Metcalfe and Sweeney's charges against the Furey's were dismissed 15 months after the incident in exchange for a peace bond. 

Peace bond strategic

Nova Scotia Crown attorney Rob Kennedy handled the case to avoid allegations of conflict of interest, given that one of the alleged victims is the premier.

Kennedy told CBC News they decided to drop the charges to avoid testimony from Furey's daughter. 

"It was important to the Fureys to avoid subjecting their daughter to testifying in a trial, balanced with reaching a meaningful resolution that included the protection of Premier Furey's family and an acknowledgement on the part of both accused of the harm they caused," Kennedy said.

The pair have been ordered not to contact the premier or any member of his immediate family for one year, and they must stay 50 metres away from his home.

They must also keep the peace and be of good behaviour. 

Metcalfe and Sweeney, neither of which had a previous criminal record, formally apologized in court on Thursday morning. 

If their bond conditions are violated, it could result in criminal charges.

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