The United We Roll Convoy for Canada made a loud noise on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, with the horns of semis, pickups and cars blaring full blast.
Those vehicles lined Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill. With their stage relocated, most of the participants stood in the snow on the lawn, freezing in -9 C weather for the two-hour rally.
The issues raised by the speakers focused primarily on energy policy of the federal Liberal government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This included Bill C-69 (changing the National Energy Board and impact assessments), Bill C-48 (which bans oil tankers off the northern British Columbia coast), export pipelines, the carbon tax, agriculture and immigration.
The list of speakers was long, and included two federal party leaders, Andrew Scheer of the Conservatives, and Maxime Bernier, of the Peoples Party of Canada.
Numerous Conservative members of parliament and a few senators also spoke.
But perhaps more importantly, many members of the convoy took the microphone. Saskatchewan content included a lengthy speech by Estevan farmer and auctioneer Jason LeBlanc, whose semi and grain trailer was parked right up near the gate to Parliament. Jay Riedel and Ken Mehler, also of Estevan, and Joram Olweny of Weyburn also took the podium.
Saskatchewan parliamentarians included Senator Dave Tkachuk, and MPs David Anderson (Cypress Hills-Grasslands) and Cathay Wagantall (Yorkton-Melville).
A counter protest gathered on the opposite side of on Wellington Street, on the other side of the semis parked in front of Parliament. A strong shoulder-to-shoulder police presence separated the groups. The banners carried by many of the counter protesters said, 鈥淪eparate oil and state,鈥� 鈥淲ater is life, water is sacred鈥� and 鈥淣o one is illegal.鈥�
When the counter-protesters got a little excited, a long, loud and concentrated blast of the air horns from those sitting in the semis quickly and empathically drowned them out. This could be seen from social media live feeds.
One counter-protester carried the flag of the Soviet Union, beside another person carrying the Canadian flag. When the rally wrapped up, the counter protest ensured the trucks didn鈥檛 move anywhere for quite some time. A wall of police officers, coincidentally all wearing yellow high-visibility vests, slowly moved the counter protesters out of the way, allowing the convoy to depart about an hour later.
Glen Carritt, principle organizer of the convoy, said, 鈥淭his is Canada. We鈥檙e the hard-working people of this country, and we鈥檝e united this country by driving across it and meeting every single one of you.鈥�
Carritt said they鈥檝e had an amazing reception. And he was followed by the singing of O Canada and Amazing Grace, as well as a moment of silence which happened to coincide with the ringing of the bells from the Peace Tower.
Estevan farmer Jason LeBlanc spoke at length about the impact of a carbon tax on agriculture, the impact of the current federal government鈥檚 energy policies on Estevan, coal power generation, and how Saskatchewan has carbon capture and storage.
鈥淭his is a peaceful rally. It鈥檚 a bit of a warning shot. We want the prime minister to hear our message,鈥� LeBlanc said. 鈥淭he naysayers said it couldn鈥檛 be done. The keyboard warriors called us racists, bigots, and any other names they could think of as we made our way across this great country. The protesters tried to stop us just outside of Winnipeg, but our little peaceful convoy made it, and we鈥檙e here.鈥�
He spoke of how farmers allow access to the land for the drilling of wells.
鈥淎griculture does not exist without oil and oil cannot be refined without agricultural land to drill on,鈥� LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc also touched on climate change, noting how the world operates in a cyclical nature and will continue to do so. He called himself a 鈥渕an-made climate change doomsday denier,鈥� and pointed out that if Al Gore鈥檚 climate predictions had come true, he would be on Parliament Hill in shorts and sandals instead of freezing, wearing a jacket, gloves and bunnyhug.
鈥淗e got rich doing it,鈥� LeBlanc said of Gore鈥檚 campaign on climate change. 鈥淐limate change is the most complex thing on the planet.鈥�
Leblanc added, 鈥淐anada is not the issue.鈥�
Riedel has been the principle organizer of Estevan Yellow Vest Movement protests, including the 427-unit convoy that passed through the Energy City on Dec. 22.
鈥淥nce we got to Ontario, we didn鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥� Riedel said. He recounted how some communities along the way set off fireworks when they arrived.
鈥淭he emotional part of it, I can鈥檛 explain it until now.鈥�
鈥淲e came across this country united.鈥�
He noted about the carbon tax, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to be paying this carbon tax on a loaf of bread in the store.鈥�
Riedel spoke of how Estevan used to have many jobs and there was a shortage of housing.
鈥淣ow there鈥檚 vacant houses. People are suffering.鈥�
鈥淲e have to get all our resources to market 鈥� oil, gas, or anything else,鈥� Riedel said. 鈥淭o unite this country, that鈥檚 what this is all about. United we roll.鈥�
Joram Olweny of Weyburn explained how he migrated lawfully to Canada 23 years ago, and through a long and difficult process, became a citizen. It took four years to become a citizen in 2001. He now works in the oilpatch and runs a business.
He expressed frustration at how current immigration policies are operating, and how lax it has become to walk across the border.
鈥淚 love the oilpatch. I love farmers. And that鈥檚 why I became a Canadian citizen,鈥� Olweny said.
Ken Mehler said, 鈥淚鈥檓 in oil. I鈥檓 in coal.
鈥淥il is dead, and coal is becoming dead. Trudeau is tearing everything down.鈥�
Mehler spoke of the two coal-fired power plants at Estevan, and a third at Coronach, and how they are all at risk with the current government.
鈥淗e wants to kill it,鈥� Mehler said of Trudeau.
鈥淭he last guys leaving Estevan, turn out the damned lights, because you鈥檒l be charged a carbon tax.鈥�
Mehler added, 鈥淥ur western oil should be a lot more important than oil coming in on tankers from other countries.鈥�
Bernier, leader and founder of the People鈥檚 Party of Canada and MP for Beauce, said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not asking for a hand out, you鈥檙e not asking for any privilege. You鈥檙e asking to build a pipeline.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a carbon tax. We don鈥檛 need Bill C-69. We don鈥檛 need Bill C-48.
He promised to scrap those bills if elected prime minister, as well as to privatize the recently nationalized Trans Mountain Pipeline.
Bernier talked about using the constitution to push a pipeline through. 鈥淚t鈥檚 safer to build a pipeline today,鈥� he pointed out, noting that Quebecers remember the Lac-M茅gantic disaster in 2013.
鈥淲e need to have a fair equalization formula,鈥� Bernier added. 鈥淲e need to ensure it is fair for everyone.鈥�
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said: 鈥淚 want to thank you in the United We Roll convoy that came all the way from Western Canada that your voices have been heard.鈥�
鈥淚 am sick and tired of watching people chain themselves to trees and lying down in front of bulldozers, trying to block Canadian energy from reaching markets, but yet, day after day, we see tanker after tanker of foreign oil coming into our markets. It鈥檚 time for that to stop.鈥�
Regarding his pipeline plan, Scheer said, 鈥淭here was a time when the governments didn鈥檛 have to build pipelines, because the private sector did it with investors money.鈥�
He said the Conservative plan would be to scrap Bill C-69 and the carbon tax.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to build pipelines to get oil and gas off the railway,鈥� Scheer said.
鈥淲e will work to build a west-to-east pipeline to get Western Canadian oil and gas to eastern markets, so you don鈥檛 have to import oil from countries like Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United States.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got your back, we鈥檙e fighting for you,鈥� Scheer said.
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