Energy sector workers and supporters are planning a massive convoy of vehicles to Ottawa to protest the federal government’s attacks on their sector.
It is expected that hundreds of transport trucks and personal vehicles will join the convoy along the way from Western Canada to Ottawa.
The convoy is set to leave Alberta and British Columbia on February 14th, where it will meet up with another convoy from Atlantic Canada, then make its way to Parliament Hill for a massive rally.
The convoy’s GoFundMe page has gotten over $83,000 in donations as of January 8.
According to their GoFundMe page, the goals of the convoy include putting people back to work, ending dependency on foreign oil, ending the Carbon Tax and seeing more pipelines approved.
The purpose of the GoFundMe is to help cover the costs of gas for the demonstrators.
The account says,“a 12 person admin panel with certified accountants has been set up oversee organizing, strategy and disbursement of fuel cards.”
Low prices and not enough energy infrastructure have caused serious problems for the industry, with even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the situation a crisis.
Many within the convoy believe the Trudeau government is working directly against the interests of the energy sector.
The Trudeau Government enacted Bill C-48, which introduced a ban on oil tankers off the northern coast of British Columbia, including many key ports that could get Alberta oil to Asian markets.
The government then passed Bill C-69, which changes the way pipeline projects are improved and will make it all but impossible to approve major projects in Canada. The bill cynically injects “sex and gender” into the considerations for pipelines, and allows special interests groups to hijack the consultation stage.
Bill C-69 injects “sex and gender” into the considerations for pipelines, and allows special interests groups to hijack the consultation stage.
Glen Carritt, the Executive Director of the Convoy project, has had enough.
He told BNN Bloomberg that “the industry has woken up. We’re just tired of our product getting slammed.”
“We have a great product that gets hammered again and again by environmentalists because they can.”
As the Alberta economy continues to be hit by low oil prices around the world and pipeline difficulties at home, demonstrations have become frequent.
One rally in Alberta recently attracted over 1000 vehicles.
But nothing as ambitious as a convoy to Ottawa has been attempted yet.
Jason Nixon, a UCP MLA who spoke to the crowd at a rally in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, on December 29, made it clear that the solution is more pipelines, and slammed Trudeau’s recent $1.6 billion aid package to the energy sector.
“Trudeau, we don’t want your money. We want you to get out of the way.”
The February demonstration expects to see over 700 vehicles.
