Dozens of trucks and a few hundred people arrived in Ottawa Tuesday morning to protest the Liberal government’s handling of the pipeline, the federal carbon tax and the border crisis.
The main convoy was organized by United We Roll and began its several-day trip in Red Deer, Alberta towards the nation’s capital.
The convoy has managed to fundraise a total of $135,000 from everyday Canadians pitching in.
“We are in favour of pipelines to move our products in the oil and gas sector to the rest of Canada as well as the rest of the world. We are opposed to the current format of the carbon tax as well as the UN impact [sic] on Canadian borders,” read a statement on the convoy’s website.
Along the route, people came out in support for the convoy, often waiting outside in minus 20 Celcius weather to catch a glimpse and cheer on the trucks as they honked their horns and parked in front of Parliament Hill.
The convoys were joined by a number of Canada’s Yellow Vests who held signs that read “NO TO RACISM; FIGHT FOR JOBS; HOMES & DECENT PAY FOR ALL!!”
Another sign read, “The Canadian government has to stop treating filipino people as slaves & cheap labour!”
Andrew Scheer, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, spoke alongside Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre in support of the group’s aims. People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier also gave a speech at the event.
A small contingent of Antifa and left-wing protestors also attended the event and were separated from the main protest by the police.
Signs brandished by masked Antifa members depicted soviet hammer and sickels and read “No pipelines, no fascists on indigenous land.”
The protests continued for several hours as truck horns repeatedly blasted and parliamentarians convened on the hill for question period.
