Protestors show their support for the Freedom Convoy of truck drivers who are making their way to Ottawa to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates by the Canadian government on January 27, 2022, in Vaughan (AP)

Pat King, a key figure in the trucker protest that blocked Canada's capital and ignited a global movement against COVID mandates, was found guilty on Friday for his role in the blockade.

The "Freedom Convoy", made up of truck drivers and protesters from across Canada, arrived in Ottawa in early 2022 to oppose government COVID-19 protocols.

After three weeks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers to remove the protesters. King was among those arrested and was the first protest leader to be convicted.

Two other organizers, Tamara Lich, and Chris Barber, are undergoing a separate criminal trial, with verdicts expected in 2025. King faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted on five charges, including mischief, incitement to mischief, and defying a court order.

Acquitted of more serious charges, King smiled at a courtroom filled with supporters as the verdict was read. "Mr. King was not merely engaging in political speech," stated Justice Charles Hackland, adding, "Rather, he was inciting the protesters to continue their ongoing blockade of downtown Ottawa."

King led hundreds of big rigs and thousands of protesters to Ottawa, causing the capital to come to a standstill for over three weeks.

Trudeau faced harsh criticism from civil liberties groups and the opposition Conservatives for invoking the Emergencies Act to remove the protesters. However, a commission of inquiry deemed the move "appropriate," describing it as "a drastic action, but... not a dictatorial one."

On January 22, 2022, a mass protest in Canada's capital Ottawa, began against vaccine mandates. A month later, the Prime Minister vowed to bring that protest to an end. Trudeau frustratedly declared that "it has to stop."

Melanie Joly, Trudeau's foreign minister said that while the truckers have a "right to express themselves," police will not accept a protracted "occupation" of the city, assuring reporters the matter would be "dealt with".

Trudeau expressed that the pandemic has "sucked for all Canadians," adding that Canadians have continued to listen to science and lean on each other, promising federal assistance to provincial governments.

That same month, the US urged Canada to use federal power to end the trucker "Freedom Convoy" protests in the nation's capital.

"Freedom Convoy" drivers, according to the judge's ruling, could have been fined $100,000, jailed for a year, and have their trucks seized and licenses revoked after Biden urged Trudeau to get even tougher.