United We Roll pro-pipeline convoy reaches Ottawa for mass protests
After nearly five days of driving, a convoy of hundreds of pro-pipeline supporters has reached Ottawa for a mass protest against the Liberal government's energy and environmental policies.
The United We Roll convoy has also become a lightning rod for anti-immigrant sentiments, forcing organizers to try to distance themselves from the so-called yellow vest movement.
After starting the journey in Red Deer, Alta., on Feb. 14, the convoy arrived in Canada's capital just before 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The convoy rally is expected to bring parts of downtown Ottawa to a halt over the next two days. Street closures are planned around Parliament Hill to make room for the semi-trailers, pickup trucks, cars and buses.
Lead organizer Glen Carritt, owner of an oilfield fire and safety company in Innisfail, Alta., said the group wants the Liberal government to cut the carbon tax, Bill C-69, which would overhaul how Canada does environmental assessments of energy projects and Bill C-48, which bans oil tankers from the northern coast of British Columbia.
Supporters have also raised concerns about Canada signing on to a non-binding UN compact on global migration. The 36-page document lays out a collaborative approach to dealing with growing global migration, and sets out 23 objectives for treating migrants humanely and efficiently.
Carritt said Canada's borders "need to be controlled" by Canada and its citizens, not the United Nations.
He had originally referred to his group as the "yellow vest convoy," but renamed it United We Roll after it was linked to extremist elements. The yellow vest movement started in France late last year when protesters took to the streets against rising fuel prices.
Yellow vest association
Carritt said the rally in Ottawa is open to anyone angry with the Liberal government as it's not violent.
One of the group's other organizers, Jason Corbeil, was forced to distance the group from a Sault. Ste. Marie, Ont., yellow vest group that had boasted online to be part of the convoy. The blog of one of those organizers includes calls for specific politicians to be executed, refers to immigrants as "sub-human" and argues women don't belong in politics.
Corbeil said the convoy does not condone hate and is about uniting people.
However, The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has been warning the convoy is giving a platform to hateful ideas.
"This convoy is a Yellow Vests Canada convoy, and any well-meaning pro-pipeline individuals involved are in fact legitimizing and breathing oxygen into the broader Yellow Vests Canada movement, which spreads hate, conspiracy theories and death threats targeting Muslims, politicians and other Canadians," said Evan Balgord, the group's executive director.
Counter-protesters plan to meet the convoy near Parliament Hill on Tuesday.
So far, there's no plan for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet the convoy. cbc
