Saskatchewan-based weapons and assault charges against the leader of the controversial Diagolon movement have been stayed.

Last year Jeremy Mackenzie was charged with assault, pointing a firearm, use of a restricted weapon in a careless manner and mischief in connection with a 2021 incident near Viscount, Sask., a community approximately 75 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon.

He was arrested at his home in Cole Harbour, N.S., on a Canada-wide warrant before being released on bail in November 2022. 

The Saskatchewan-based charges against Mackenzie were stayed in a hearing late last week. 

In a statement provided to CBC News, Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice said a prosecution can only proceed when there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction or when it is in the public interest to use the criminal justice system to address the matter. 

A change to circumstances can require the prosecutor to re-assess that standard, the ministry said.

Crown attorneys believed the situation in this case changed to the extent it was no longer appropriate to prosecute the charges, the statement said. 

Instead, the Crown believed a "just resolution" was to have Mackenzie sign a peace bond. 

What is Diagolon?

Mackenzie is the leader of an online group known as Diagolon. 

A House of Commons report from June 2022 identifies the organization as an ideologically motivated violent extremist organization.

"It's made up of former members of the Canadian Forces, individuals with real combat training, with real capabilities and who have grown increasingly radicalized, especially because of COVID," the report says, quoting Mubin Shaikh, a professor of public safety at Seneca College.

Shaikh is quoted as saying Diagolon is one of the groups that he considers to be "real and significant threat to Canadian public safety."

The report also notes a connection between Diagolon and extremists who were arrested at the Coutts, Alta., border crossing during convoy protests in February 2022.

Mackenzie and his followers have scoffed at the suggestion this group is some sort of American-style militia group, arguing they are simply trolling, or intentionally fooling, a gullible media.

Legal cases in Nova Scotia

Mackenzie continues to face legal issues in Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service has confirmed that a charge for careless use of a firearm was dismissed on July 24, and Mackenzie was issued a common law peace bond, but he is still facing 12 firearm-related charges as part of a incident on Jan. 26, 2022, in Pictou, N.S.

That matters is scheduled for election or plea on Sept. 7 in Pictou Supreme Court. 

Mackenzie is also facing four other charges in Nova Scotia, including mischief, criminal harassment and intimidation of a health professional. 

Those charges stem from a March 2022 anti-mask protest at the home of Nova Scotia's Chief Medical Officer of Health Robert Strang.

Mackenzie and his co-accused in that case, Morgan May Guptil, are scheduled to return to Dartmouth Provincial Court on Oct. 3 for a status report in that case. 

Saskatchewan RCMP have confirmed that Jeremy Mackenzie, the leader of the controversial Diagolon movement, was arrested on a Canada-wide warrant on Wednesday.

According to Mackenzie's partner, Morgan May Guptill, he was detained at their Cole Harbour home by the Halifax Regional Police late Wednesday afternoon.

May said she and Mackenzie had noticed earlier in the day when reviewing their surveillance footage that police had stopped by their home. 

"So we had called them and they made us aware that there was a warrant," May told CBC in a phone interview. 

She said she and Mackenzie "waited in the driveway for them and co-operated."

                                        Morgan Guptill says she and Jeremy are misunderstood and haven't broken any laws. (Katie Fraser/Facebook)

Mackenzie was arrested by members of the RCMP and Halifax Regional Police on charges that had been laid months ago.

• Sask. RCMP issue warrant for Nova Scotia man facing multiple gun charges

On July 18, Saskatchewan RCMP charged the 36-year-old with assault, pointing a firearm, use of a restricted weapon in a careless manner and mischief during an incident near Viscount, Sask., in November. There's no word yet on a court date. 

Militia or trolling?

Mackenzie is a prolific podcaster and the leader of an online group known as Diagolon. A June 2022 House of Commons report identified the organization as an ideologically motivated violent extremist organization.

"It's made up of former members of the Canadian Forces, individuals with real combat training, with real capabilities and who have grown increasingly radicalized, especially because of COVID," the report says, quoting Mubin Shaikh, a professor of public safety at Seneca College. 

The report notes there are connections between Diagolon and extremists who were arrested at the Coutts, Alta., border crossing during the February convoy protest. It said those extremists "were ready to engage police in a firefight." 

Members of Diagolon have been tied to the convoy protests and two Diagolon patches were found on body armour seized during the execution of RCMP search warrants at Coutts.

Mackenzie and his followers have scoffed at the suggestion this group is some sort of American-style militia group, arguing they are simply trolling a gullible media.

In reference to a photo of Mackenzie and others posing with guns, Guptill explained it's all a ruse. 

"He knows you guys will fall for it and you'll post it and look ridiculous," she said, explaining that the purpose is "to make people understand that reporters have no idea. They don't do the research. They don't actually know what they're talking about. They'll take anything and run with it."

Jeremy Mackenzie, crouching left, poses with other Diagolon members during a 2021 "shooting party" in rural Saskatchewan. (Submitted to CBC)

Rape threat or joke?

Jeremy Mackenzie also claimed to be joking earlier this week when it came to light that he had suggested on his podcast that he wanted to rape Anaida Poilievre, the wife of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre. 

One of the other men on the podcast asked him if he would be talking about raping a woman if his partner Morgan was around. He said he would and indicated she would want to join in. 

Morgan Guptill said those comments were completely inappropriate. 

"I had hoped Jeremy would have time to put out a video to apologize for putting words in my mouth — things that I obviously had never said and would never say as a sexual assault victim myself," she told CBC. 

In a statement, Poilievre condemned Mackenzie's statement as "disgusting," referring to Mackenzie and his fellow podcasters as "dirtbags" and "losers." The RCMP confirmed Monday that it is looking into this alleged threat. 

• RCMP investigating rape threat against Pierre Poilievre's wife

In a post on the instant messaging service Telegram, Mackenzie wrote "It's unfortunate as leader of the opposition that he's chosen to focus his attention on such trivial matters like small time podcast comedians making jokes." 

Guptill told CBC, "I believe him when he says that he was joking but at the end of the day considering all of the court cases we have on the go it's quite a serious thing to say in my opinion."

Other cases on the horizon

In March, Mackenzie and Guptill were charged with mischief, criminal harassment and intimidation of a health professional during an anti-mask protest at the home of Nova Scotia's Chief Medical Officer of Health Robert Strang.

                           Jeremy Mackenzie features this image as part of his podcast set. (Morgan Guptill/Facebook)

Then, in June, Mackenzie was charged with 13 firearms-related offences, including three counts of careless use of a firearm and three of unauthorized possession of a firearm. The RCMP said officers discovered five restricted guns, prohibited ammunition magazines, ammunition and body armour. 

And last Friday, Guptill was arrested and jailed for allegedly failing to pay $69.10 for fuel at a local gas station.

Guptill told CBC that in all of these cases, she and Mackenzie have been unfairly targeted. 

"We feel like this is quite an overreach and that we are being targeted by the police for speaking out against them," she said, referring to their social media channels and podcasts, where they are relentless critics of mainstream political parties, media organizations and government institutions. 

She said the goal is to "ruin our reputation because they know that we have such a large audience." Mackenzie has more than 14,000 followers on his Telegram channel.

She said she and Mackenzie are misunderstood.

Fundamentally, she says, they are all about giving hope by "building communities of like-minded people so they don't feel alone throughout potential future lockdowns or food shortages or war or whatever is coming."

She said the focus on Mackenzie as some sort of dangerous leader is also misguided.

"He's a teddy bear," she said. "He talks big though."

Warning: This story contains sexually graphic details that may be disturbing to readers

The RCMP confirmed Monday that it is looking into a threat of sexual violence directed at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's wife, Anaida Poilievre.

Poilievre denounced the threat from far-right political commentator Jeremy MacKenzie and said his office contacted law enforcement about the matter. 

An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News Monday that it's looking into the report.

"We can confirm that the matter has been referred to the RCMP and we are reviewing the information provided," they said in an email. 

"Only in the event that criminal charges are laid would the RCMP be in a position to confirm the nature of the complaint or any individuals allegedly involved."

Jeremy MacKenzie, the leader of the Canadian far-right group Diagolon, made the threats over the weekend in a stream on the social media app Telegram while speaking with a guest, Alex Vriend.

"Let's rape her," MacKenzie said. "It's not really a sex thing. It's like we just want to show people that we can do things to you if we want to. It's a power move."

MacKenzie made several racist and derogatory remarks about Anaida Poilievre's Venezuelan background in the stream.

Anaida Poilievre was born in Venezuela and grew up in Montreal. Pierre and Anaida married in 2017 and have two children. Pierre Poilievre was elected Conservative leader earlier this month and Anaida Poilievre works as a political staffer on Parliament Hill.

In a statement posted to Twitter Monday, Poilievre said his office has contacted the RCMP about the comments.

"My office has referred these comments to the RCMP to assess whether criminal charges should be laid," he said in the statement.

Jenni Byrne, the head of Poilievre's transition team, told CBC News she called the RCMP on Saturday after she was made aware of the threat. Byrne said she would be meeting with the Mounties to discuss the situation. 

"These men are dirtbags," Poilievre said in the statement. "Frankly, like most Canadians, until about a month ago I had never heard of Diagolon and these losers. They are all odious.

"This kind of garbage has no place in Canada. No one should face this abuse.

"People can attack my politics, they can call me names, they can protest my ideas and what I stand for. But threatening my wife and family is appalling and I will not tolerate it. Leave my family alone."

In an interview with The Canadian Press, MacKenzie said he was drinking when he made the comments and meant no harm by them.

Politicians, journalists and other public figures — especially women and people of colour — have been facing an increase in acts of harassment and threats in recent months.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced threats and hatred in response to a reporter's question Monday. He didn't mention Poilievre specifically.

"No one should ever be subject to threats of violence or the kind of hatred that we've seen increasingly in the public discourse, in the public sphere," Trudeau told a news conference.

"It's important that we all stand up and condemn that, and we all look for ways to ensure that everyone feels safe in this country."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also denounced the threat.

"No one should be threatened with sexual violence. Not journalists, not politicians, not anyone's family, not anyone," Singh said in a tweet Monday.

He called on political leaders to work at stopping violent extremism.

"The rise of violent extremism in Canada should be a concern for all leaders. If there's political will, we can do something to stop it," he said.

Mark Gerretsen, a Liberal member of Parliament representing Kingston and the Islands, tweeted Monday that he also received a sexual assault threat directed at his wife. He posted the message in his tweet and said both Kingston Police and the Parliamentary Protective Service have opened files on it.

"I 100% agree with Pierre Poilievre on this," Gerrettsen said in the tweet. "Attack me all you want. Leave our families out of this."

Who is Jeremy MacKenzie?

MacKenzie, who is 36, has attracted attention for his support of the anti-vaccine mandate convoy protest which occupied Ottawa earlier this year, and for his leadership of far-right group Diagolon.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told CBC in an email that MacKenzie served in the Canadian Armed Forces. They said MacKenzie enrolled in 2003 and released in 2017, adding he was an infantryman with the Royal Canadian Regiment and that he had one deployment to Afghanistan.

An Instagram account bearing MacKenzie's name describes him as a "Sub-Standard podcaster, Sit-down comedian Super Villain, Sardonic Emperor of Diagolon, Very Scary."

The Saskatchewan RCMP charged MacKenzie in July with assault, pointing a firearm, using a restricted weapon in a careless manner and mischief. Nova Scotia RCMP charged MacKenzie with 13 gun-related charges in June.

Barbara Perry, director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University, said that Diagolon aims to establish a "white ethnonationalist state" which would run diagonally from the Pacific Northwest through Canada to Florida.

Perry said her group started to look into Diagolon after police in Coutts, Alta., found the group's patch on body armour while executing a search warrant. Two men arrested in relation to border blockades in Coutts in February have ties to MacKenzie and Diagolon.

Barbara Perry, director of the Centre for Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University, said Diagolon aims to establish a "white ethnonationalist state" stretching from the Pacific Northwest to Florida. (CBC)

"So the idea is ... to accelerate some form of civil war," Perry said. "[MacKenzie] feels, and some of his followers believe, that we are already in the midst of a racial war in which white men, in particular, are losing, so it's time for them to stand up and fight back.

"So they would like to 'accelerate' that civil war, if you will, and replace the current order with this white ethnonationalist state."

Perry said that while Diagolon lacks concrete plans, the group's narrative is violent and aggressive — and may inspire violence.

"The narratives themselves are dangerous because of the potential consequences," she said.

Perry said that MacKenzie may have seen Anaida Poilievre's ethnicity and gender, as well the fact that she has children with Pierre, as an opportunity to highlight his racist, misogynist narrative.

Poilievre shook hands with MacKenzie at an event in August. In a statement issued to Global News, he denied knowing MacKenzie.

"My campaign events are public. There is no registration and anyone can walk in ... It is impossible to do a background check on every single person who attends my events," Poilievre said in the statement.  "As I always have, I denounce racism and anyone who spreads it." 

Perry said MacKenzie also may have threatened Poilievre because of Poilievre's new status as leader of the opposition.

"So now, to the extent that Poilievre is the leader of a primary political party in Canada, he is now part of the machinery. He is, because of that leadership role, part of the state to which [Diagolon is] so opposed," Perry said.

Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie was charged on July 18 with assault, pointing a firearm, using a restricted weapon in a careless manner and mischief. 

According to Saskatchewan RCMP, the charges stem from an incident last November in the rural municipality of Viscount. No further details were provided, aside from a note that RCMP did not get a report about that incident until March of this year.

RCMP also confirmed that a provincewide arrest warrant has been issued for MacKenzie, though the Mounties said there is no evidence that he is in Saskatchewan. Crown prosecutors are reviewing the case and will decide if the warrant will be extended to other provinces.

In January, MacKenzie was arrested by RCMP in Nova Scotia in advance of a raid on a home in Pictou County. RCMP said officers turned up five restricted guns, including rifles and handguns, one unrestricted firearm, prohibited ammunition magazines, ammunition and body armour. MacKenzie was arraigned on 13 gun-related charges in June as a result of that raid, including three counts of careless use of a firearm and three of unauthorized possession of a firearm.

MacKenzie and another person are also charged with threatening Nova Scotia's chief medical officer after a series of anti-mask protests were held outside the CMO's home.

MacKenzie is the leader of an online group known as Diagolon, whose members have been tied to the convoy protest that shut down the border crossing at Coutts, Alta., earlier this year.

David Hofmann, a professor at the University of New Brunswick and a nationally recognized expert on far-right extremism and violence, has said Diagolon is an American-style militia movement with white supremacist beliefs.

A request for comment sent to an email believed to belong to MacKenzie has not been returned.

Two people accused of organizing a protest at the home of Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health have been released from jail after spending a night behind bars.

Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie, 36, and Morgan May Guptill, 31, appeared in Dartmouth provincial court separately by video link Friday afternoon.

The Crown had initially been opposed to releasing the pair, but was able to negotiate terms with defence lawyer Stan MacDonald, who represents both accused.

Both MacKenzie and Guptill will stay at the MacKenzie family home in Pictou, N.S., until their next court appearance in April.

Released under conditions

The release conditions are the same for each accused:

• They must stay away from Dr. Robert Strang and his family, including the suburban Halifax residence where they're accused of staging a protest last weekend.

• They must stay 25 metres away from any home, school or business of any medical professional, educational professional or politician.

• They are not to counsel anyone else to protest against people in those three categories, and they must not make any posts about them on social media.

• Each accused must guarantee their compliance with a $10,000 surety. They must each commit $5,000 and the MacKenzie family will guarantee the other half.

MacKenzie and Guptill are each charged with several offences, including mischief, criminal harassment and a new charge that was introduced during the pandemic, that of intimidation of a health professional.

Members of the Nova Scotia Legislature unanimously agreed to fast-track a bill introduced Thursday afternoon that will outlaw protests close to the homes of health workers and officials in a decision-making health roles.

The lieutenant-governor signed the bill later in the day, amending the Protecting Access to Health Services Act to create a 50-metre "safe zone" around the homes.

Nova Scotia Justice Minister Brad Johns said a video posted by a protesters this week outside the Fall River, N.S., home of Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang spurred him to ask his staff to draft an amendment to the law passed in the fall.

"It became apparent somebody had to do something," Johns told reporters during a bill briefing at Province House Thursday. He said the move was initiated by the Department of Justice, not Strang.

Police this week charged Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie, 36, and Morgan May Guptill, 31, with criminal harassment, mischief, harassing phone calls and intimidation of a health professional, following three days of protests outside Strang's home. They are scheduled to appear in court Friday.

 Nova Scotia Justice Minister Brad Johns is shown during a news conference in Halifax on Thursday. (Michael Gorman/CBC)

Under the amendment, protests will be outlawed within the 50-metre "bubbles." Violators will face fines that range from $5,000 to $100,000. Hospitals, clinics and other health facilities are currently protected by the law.

"People cannot be allowed to stalk others outside of their homes," said Johns. "Not only are our health-service providers being threatened, harassed and bullied, but so are those who they share a home with, their wives, their children, their husbands, or their significant others.

"They and their loved ones deserve to be protected. It's very un-Nova Scotian."

Turning a bill into law in just a few hours, with almost no debate, is very rare, but Johns defended the move as necessary to safeguard Strang and his family.

"Considering the fact that a number of people showed up three days in a row, I felt it was important to get it passed through so it can take effect immediately," Johns told reporters after the bill passed third and final reading during the first day of the spring sitting.

Opposition on board

Johns said he has no qualms about bypassing the law amendments committee, the part of the law-making process where the public gets its say on proposed legislation.

"I think that the general public will not have an issue with these amendments," he said. "I would think most people would be very supportive of it and understand it.

"I have no issues with that."

Neither did Liberal Party Leader Iain Rankin.

"Not in this case," said Rankin. "In this case it's about safety and if we can prevent people from getting hurt or taking action that they shouldn't, we should do that as soon as possible."

NDP House leader Claudia Chender expressed a similar view.

"I think in this case we were convinced that this bill was required in an expedient manner and that there were active threats being made to officials and that, you know, there was a feeling that there was stronger legislation required to be able to deal with that and keep people safe," said Chender.

She did say that if extending the protective bubbles to thousands of health-care workers has unintended consequences, her party would push the Houston government to make the changes necessary to fix the problem. 

The founder of a group that's been described as an American-style militia movement was one of two people arrested Tuesday in relation to recent protests at the home of Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health.

RCMP and Halifax Regional Police said in a news release Wednesday they've charged 36-year-old Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie of Pictou, N.S., and 31-year-old Morgan May Guptill of Cole Harbour, N.S., with criminal harassment, mischief, harassing phone calls and intimidation of a health professional. 

RCMP Const. Guillaume Tremblay said that last charge — intimidation of a health professional — was introduced in January specifically to respond to problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The charges come after three days of protests outside of the Fall River, N.S., home of Dr. Robert Strang that started on Sunday. Strang also said people were prank calling him until 2 a.m. that morning.

Police said they arrested MacKenzie and Guptill on Pleasant Street in the Woodside area of Dartmouth Tuesday evening while protests continued outside of Strang's home. When police informed protestors the pair had been arrested, they left. 

"Dr. Strang wishes to pass along his sincere thanks to law enforcement for their action in addressing the incidents taking place outside of his home. As this is now a matter before the courts, he will not be commenting further," Nova Scotia Health Department spokesperson Marla MacInnis said in an email.

MacKenzie and Guptill appeared virtually in Dartmouth provincial court on Wednesday, where the Crown opposed their release from police custody. 

They were ordered to remain in custody and a bail hearing has been scheduled for Friday morning in the same court. Both accused are under orders to have no contact with Strang or his family.

Diagolon a white nationalist movement, says prof

MacKenzie is the founder of Diagolon. University of New Brunswick Prof. David Hofmann, who studies far right movements, told CBC News in February the goal of the group is to establish a "diagonal" white nationalist state.

He said those who believe in the Diagolon movement say a civil war is needed to create a new state that would run diagonally from Alaska, through western Canada's provinces, all the way south to Florida. Hofmann also said they hope to accomplish this through violence.

Two of the four southern Alberta men accused of conspiring to murder RCMP officers at the Coutts, Alta., border blockades last month have ties to Diagolon. 

Earlier this year, RCMP raided MacKenzie's parents home in Pictou, N.S., and seized several firearms after a video was posted to social media allegedly showing MacKenzie pointing a pistol at another man's head while drunk on whiskey.

According to an application by RCMP for a warrant to search the High Street residence, MacKenzie appeared in the video to be in possession of a "high capacity magazine," a prohibited device. 

"The magazine was inserted into a firearm which MacKenzie was handling in a careless manner," the document from Const. David Peck said.

"MacKenzie's actions in the video, and by his own admission to police on January 13, 2022, suggested that MacKenzie was intoxicated at the time the video was captured."

MacKenzie is a veteran with PTSD

The document described MacKenzie as a veteran of the Afghanistan war who has post-traumatic stress disorder. He served in the Canadian military for 14 years.

The video was shot while MacKenzie was at the Iron Mountain Wilderness Cabins in Whycocomagh, N.S., the application said. In the video, MacKenzie appeared to be in a building that looked like a commercial restaurant. 

"MacKenzie appeared intoxicated and was waving the firearm around in a reckless manner," it said.

"While waving the firearm around, MacKenzie briefly pointed the firearm at [the man's] head, causing [the man] to flinch, momentarily close his eyes, and moved his head away from the muzzle." 

The document said MacKenzie was "quite vocal" during the video, saying things like, "I just go where the gun tells me to go."

He also mentioned "Diagolonoia," which a witness described to police as "an imaginary country made up by MacKenzie" for which he also created a flag.

Outspoken about COVID-19 restrictions

The investigator wrote that MacKenzie claimed he did not recall the events in the video, noting he was "hammered" at the time, which the officer took to mean that he was heavily intoxicated.

"MacKenzie thought the contents of the video were good for a laugh.... MacKenzie denied having any knowledge of the firearm he had been holding," the document said.

MacKenzie was released by police on conditions, including that he not possess any firearms, weapons, ammunition or explosive substances. He is scheduled to appear May 30 in Port Hawkesbury provincial court on a number of firearms-related charges, according to RCMP.

MacKenzie moved to Nova Scotia shortly before Christmas to be closer to his children, who lived in Dartmouth, and prior to that he had been living in Saskatoon, Sask., the search warrant document said.

It appears Guptill, the other person charged in relation to protests outside Strang's home, has been outspoken about COVID-19 restrictions in the past.

A person named Morgan Guptill started a petition at the outset of the pandemic against the province implementing a state of emergency. 

A Twitter profile with the name Morgan May also frequently tweets and retweets about protests against COVID-19 restrictions, including one poster saying she was the host of a January rally outside Global News in Halifax titled The Media Is The Virus.

Houston speaks out against protests at Strang's home

On Monday, Premier Tim Houston decried the protest activity at Strang's home and suggested steps could be taken to stop future protests at the homes of public officials.

Last weekend's protest is not the first to take place outside of Strang's home. In September a small group opposed to public health restrictions protested outside of Strang's home. At that time, Houston addressed them in a video telling them to "grow up."

Previous criminal convictions, a willingness to die for the cause and connections to a violent insurrectionist movement.

CBC News has learned new details about some of the men and women arrested in connection with the Coutts, Alta., border blockades on Monday.

Thirteen people were charged following incidents involving physical threats to RCMP officers' safety and raids on trailers near the protest area, which resulted in the seizure of a cache of weapons and body armour.

The on-and-off blockade of the normally busy border crossing by people opposed to COVID-19 health restrictions lasted more than two weeks before protesters pulled out on Tuesday following the arrests.

• 4 Alberta border protesters charged with conspiring to murder RCMP officers

   
  

Alberta RCMP submitted this photo of what they say is a cache of firearms and ammunition found in three trailers near an ongoing blockade of the Canada-U.S. border. (Submitted by Alberta RCMP)

An American-style militia movement

Of the four southern Alberta men accused of conspiring to murder RCMP officers, two have ties to a man who founded a neo-fascist, white supremacist group that aims to accomplish its goals through violence.

Chris Carbert, 44, of Lethbridge, Anthony Olienick, 39, of Claresholm, Jerry Morin, 40, of Olds and Christopher Lysak, 48, of Lethbridge all face charges of conspiracy to murder, a weapons offence and mischief over $5,000.

Carbert and Lysak both have ties to Jeremy MacKenzie, the Nova Scotia founder of Diagolon, a group described by University of New Brunswick professor David Hofmann asan American-style militia movement.

Last month, RCMP raided MacKenzie's home and seized several firearms after a video was posted to social media showing MacKenzie pointing a gun at a man's head.

'Gun or rope'

According to the search warrant application filed in support of that raid, RCMP reported MacKenzie twice referred to Diagolon in the video.

The goal of the group, says Hofmann who studies far right movements, is to establish a "diagonal" white nationalist state.

Those who believe in the Diagolon movement feel a civil war is needed to create a new state that would run diagonally from Alaska, through western Canada's provinces, all the way south to Florida.

"And they want to accomplish this through violence," says Hofmann. "Their motto quite simply states gun or rope."

Two Diagolon patches were found on body armour seized by police during the execution of the Coutts search warrants.

MacKenzie is currently in Ottawa and has posted at least one video in support of the arrested Coutts protesters in the last couple of days. 

Willing to die for the cause

Several videos of MacKenzie's diatribes have been posted to Carbert's Facebook page.

In videos posted to his Facebook page, Carbert repeatedly said he was prepared to die in protest of government mandates.

"I won't live long, I've come to terms with this," he wrote in one post last October. 

"I'll likely be dead soon and likely will be front page news."

"They can try to come for me and my family, but I guarantee it won't go as smooth as they hope. I will die fighting for what I believe is right and I mean this!"

This photo of a Canadian flag, mounted at a saloon in Coutts, Alta. was posted to Christopher Carbert’s personal Facebook page on February 5. It shows the signatures of nine of the people facing charges. (Facebook/Reddit)

Although there is a conspiracy theory online among supporters of the Coutts protest that those arrested were outsiders, had just arrived in the area and were not part of the blockade group, a photo of a giant Canadian flag posted by Carbert's personal Facebook page on Feb. 5, shows the signatures of nine of those facing charges.

Carbert has prior convictions for assault, drug trafficking and two drunk driving convictions.

'This is war'

"This is war," said Jerry Morin, 40, in a video he titled "Call To Action" posted to his Facebook page.

The video was posted on Sunday, one day before Morin and his spouse Jaclyne Martin, 39, were arrested.

In the video, Morin and Martin — who faces a charge of mischief over $5,000 — call on people to come to Coutts to participate in the blockade. 

"Come on down tonight, there's no excuses, this is war," he says. "Your country needs more than ever now."

A trip to Ottawa 

Ursula Allred, 22, Justin Martin, 22,Eastin Oler, 22 and Janx Zaremba, 18, all grew up within a 15-minute drive of each other in towns south of Lethbridge.

The four are co-workers, all employees at a lighting business in the Calgary area.

Allred, Martin and Oler live together as roommates in the southeast community of Copperfield. 

On Feb. 3, Allred posted photos of herself with friends at the Ottawa protests holding anti-Trudeau signs.

All four have been released on bail and none have prior criminal charges.

'My god, please help us'

Joanne Person, 62, lives in Coutts within a few hundred metres of the border. 

In fact, Person lives so close to the protest location, several of the protesters were storing personal items at her home, according to information detailed at her bail hearing Tuesday.

It was around 1 a.m. on Monday when she posted about RCMP officers coming to make their arrest.

"The full tactical is at my home they are [telling] us to leave the home and that they are entering," she wrote.

"My god. Please help us."

Prior criminal convictions

Luke Berk, 62, has previous convictions for assault and drunk driving.

His latest Facebook post is a prayer to Jesus. 

"Your people are standing firm not just against mandates, not just against tyranny, not just against the loss of liberty and freedom, but against the evil that has swept across the land," he wrote.

Evan Colenutt, 23, has previous fish and wildlife-related convictions including for hunting off season. 

Colenutt's eight co-accused, facing the same charges of mischief and possession of a weapon, were granted bail with the consent of the prosecutor, Steven Johnston.

Johnston did not say why he wasn't prepared to support Colenutt's release.

Johnson Chichow Law, 39, was convicted of assault with a weapon in 2002.

Over the years four other assault and weapons charges were withdrawn. 

On Tuesday, RCMP said their investigation remains ongoing as they look into the extent to which those arrested are connected with broader insurrectionist groups across the province and country.

Editors' note — CBC has updated the headline on this story to reflect the varying backgrounds of those arrested and charged at Coutts, Alta.

On Friday evening, Premier Tim Houston released a video message about a small protest outside the Fall River home of Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, earlier that day.

"There isn't language harsh enough to condemn these actions," Houston said in the video.

"I would encourage you all to grow up and think of others."

Houston said he knows there have been an increased number of protests in Nova Scotia related to proof-of-vaccination policies and other health measures around COVID-19, similar to those across Canada.

While Houston said he believes in the right to free speech and protest, he said there are proper places to do it. The legislature is a fair place, Houston said, as is outside his own office.

Last month, about 100 people gathered outside Province House in downtown Halifax to protest the Liberal-proposed COVID-19 vaccine passport system in Nova Scotia.

Beginning Oct. 4, Houston's PC government has said people looking to participate in non-essential activities, such as going out to restaurants, bars, movie theatres or fitness facilities, will need to show they're fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Strang and Houston are not calling the system a vaccine passport — a measure introduced in other jurisdictions that has sparked debate over privacy and personal freedom versus public health. However, there doesn't appear to be any difference between a vaccine passport and the Nova Scotia policy.

Everyone has the right to vocalize their issues with government decisions, Houston said, but going to the personal residence of the man giving public health advice to the government is "completely unacceptable."

Houston said the recent rallies outside hospitals have also been unacceptable, and now "we reached a new low" when protesters took to Strang's home.

Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of health, provides advice to the provincial government on public health measures. (Communications Nova Scotia)

"Dr. Strang deserves not to be harassed, yelled at or scared to be in his own home. His family and neighbours deserve the same," Houston said. 

"To those of you protesting, your views and opinions belong to you. You are doing this for yourselves. The doctor who keeps us all safe and healthy is doing his job for all of us."

When asked about the rally outside Strang's home, RCMP Cpl. Lisa Croteau said Saturday that police were on scene to monitor the situation starting at 4 p.m. but no issues occurred and no arrests were made. She did not have details on when the crowd left.

Croteau said police made sure the "small group" didn't block traffic, go onto any private property, or disturb people in the area. 

She said people are allowed to protest as long as they are in a public location and don't interfere with traffic, people's enjoyment of their property, or break noise bylaws.

When asked if police had a message for protestors, Croteau said the best advice she would give is to protest "more in a public place, in front of a public building instead of in a residential area."