Local farmer and auctioneer Jason LeBlanc was a surprise guest speaker at the Farmers鈥� Appreciation Evening. He has become somewhat of an ambassador for Estevan as a representative of the agricultural sector in a recent Western Canadian fight against the federal government policies.听听
LaBlanc鈥檚 speech, humorous and serious at the same time, was about the fight for pipelines and against carbon tax - one of the challenges the Saskatchewan agricultural sector along with other industries is to face starting April 1.
As he admitted, LeBlanc was never much into politics. However, he developed some interest in it when it started to take effect on businesses and so on his farm.
His involvement with contemporary political resistance started during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 town hall meeting in Regina at the beginning of this year.
Despite all obstacles, LeBlanc managed to get into the meeting room and ask his question, however he said the prime minister didn鈥檛 answer what he was asked.
鈥淭hose town hall meetings ... not pre-planned, because he was picking questions, I get that, what is pre-planned is his 10 bullet answers. Those answers are preset in his mind, and it doesn鈥檛 matter what you ask, he鈥檚 got an answer that鈥檚 going to fit somewhere in that narrative and the way he goes,鈥� said LeBlanc.
A short time later, LeBlanc was approached by an organizer of the United We Roll convoy Glen Carritt. He was asked to join the convoy heading to Ottawa as a representative of the farming industry. LeBlanc didn鈥檛 have second thoughts when Carritt lined out their plans.
LeBlanc took the truck they specifically branded for the rally up to Virden, Man., from where he had to turn it over to his hired hand Jake Fast. The support the participants of the convoy witnessed along the way struke them.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a soft guy, but I had tears in my eyes, because ... I never saw so many people, I鈥檓 talking every half a mile, there were people holding signs, holding banners. It got me... We鈥檝e seen a school bus pull over. All the kids get out holding little flyers and posters saying, 鈥楳y dad lost his job,鈥� 鈥楳y dad doesn鈥檛 have a job,鈥� 鈥楩ight for us,鈥欌�� People came up and gave us letters to get to the prime minister. And most of it is theatrics, but the quest was real, what we were doing was real,鈥� said LeBlanc.
A big supporter of the convoy, Fast drove their truck all the way to the capital. LeBlanc flew to Ottawa to join the rally.
鈥淭hose people in Ottawa had no clue what was coming. And you could hear it, believe me, you could hear air horns honking and giving her鈥� That鈥檚 a nine or 10 miles out you could hear it, that鈥檚 how loud it was,鈥� LeBlanc said.
Total of 54 trucks made it to Ottawa with many more participating along the way bringing the Western Canadian message over to the Parliament Hill.
鈥淚 was never more proud to be a Canadian than that day, because of all that people that came out. There were people standing there with their kids. They had no idea where even Saskatchewan was, but they knew the importance of oil and gas sector, they knew the importance of agriculture, and they come out and they give us hugs 鈥� just so pleased to see us all there,鈥� LeBlanc said.
Now LeBlanc and other United We Roll supporters are getting ready for the Convoy to Regina that will take place on April 4. As of the night of the Farmers鈥� Appreciation Evening they had about 190 semis entered into it. A number of local agricultural businesses such as Nelson Motors, E Bourassa and Sons, 小蓝视频 Country Equipment Ltd. out of Weyburn, Young鈥檚 Equipment and others officially stated that they will be joining the convoy. LeBlanc invited more people to register for the Regina convoy and support their movement.
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