'United We Roll' convoy arrives in Ottawa for pro-pipeline protest

Feb 20 2019, 1:15 am

Semi trucks, yellow vests, and ‘Make Canada Great Again’ hats rolled into Ottawa on Tuesday, marking the end of a six-day journey for oil and gas advocates from across the country.

The convoy, created to vocalize opposition to Bill C-48 (the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act) and Bill C-69 (An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act), first began rolling in Alberta on February 14 with the goal of arriving in Canada for a protest on February 19 to 20.

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The convoy has fluctuated in numbers throughout the journey, ranging from 80 vehicles to over 200 as people have joined in for legs of the trip, according to a tweet from the United We Roll Convoy for Canada Twitter account.

A GoFundMe page for the convoy was first created by Glen Carritt on December 28, and has since raised just over $130,000 from 1,423 people to fund the fuel and pay the mechanics travelling with the group.

According to a photo posted by the United We Roll Twitter account, the convoy arrived at Parliament Hill at around 10 am EST.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer spoke to protesters shortly after 12 pm, stating that he plans to scrap Bill C-69 and the carbon tax if elected.

“Conservatives support our energy sector, we want to get pipelines built again,” he said.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘what’s your plan as a government to get pipelines built again?’ and I say there was a time when the government didn’t have to build pipelines because the private sector did it with investors money. Government doesn’t need to build pipelines, government needs to get out of the way to let each and every one of you do it.”

The protesters are expected to delay traffic in downtown Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Ottawa police have closed Wellington Street from Elgin to O’Connor due to the demonstration.

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Daily Hive StaffDaily Hive Staff

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