Dear Supporters:

We had our judicial pre-trial a few days ago (Dec 20th). I'm sorry it took so long for me to report back, but our lawyer came back to our home after the hearing to take some pictures and meet with us in person. The next day (Wed) I had to drive him back to Winnipeg to catch his plane. Early the next morning (Thurs) my oldest son was arriving at the Winnipeg airport for his Christmas visit. (Winnipeg is a 4 hour drive from our home.) I've spent almost the entire week either driving or meeting with our lawyer. - - OK, I'll stop making excuses now and get on with the report.

The judicial pre-trial went quicker and easier than anticipated. Following are the highlights of the pre-trial in point form:

1-A substantial number of "facts" were agreed upon between us and the crown, which made things go much quicker. For instance we both agreed that I'm not contesting the fact I didn't have a valid FAC or PAL license, or that the "firearms" I'm charged with possessing are indeed "firearms".

2-By April 30th we have agreed to have our constitutional papers submitted. These are not arguments, just the areas in the constitution that we plan on challenging.

3-We have another judicial pre-trial tentatively planned for June, to make sure that all the "loose ends" are tied up before the court date is selected. There were a few things we were not prepared to agree with in this hearing that should be resolved before June. Also, we expect that other parties will be joining in with "intervener status" by this time, and any further issues will need to be dealt with before trial.

4-Trial date is expected to be in the September or October 2006 timeframe.

5-The crown (Mr. Keen and Mr. Young) made a point of telling the judge that they had nothing to do with the forfeiture proceedings against our home and property. It's interesting to note that they brought up this point, not us.

It was very helpful for our lawyer (Calvin Martin) to finally get a chance to see our home and meet our family. He took lots of pictures and asked lots of questions. It's very important for him to get a "feel" of who we are and how we live if we are to launch a successful court case. It appears the crown plans on spending quite a bit of time during the trial trying to "establish character". I find it interesting (and disgusting) that they have to resort to that kind of smear tactic, instead of just relying on the facts, to try and convict Donna and I of a crime. Fortunately for us, I think they are going to have a hard time with this approach.

On behalf of Donna, Steven, Michael and Katey, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. May God's peace be with you all.

Yours in Liberty,

Bruce