Weyburn man travels to Ottawa in convoy for pro-pipeline protest

A man from Weyburn, Sask joined the pro-pipeline convoy on Valentine's Day when it started in Red Deer, Alta.

Now the field construction supervisor is in Ottawa, having his say on pipelines and carbon taxes.

"It's going to hurt all of our industries," said Kent Lacoste, referring to federal policy affecting energy projects.

"We've gone from working anywhere form 40 pieces of equipment daily and now we're down to, at times, three or four a day. It's getting tough. It's getting tough for a lot of people out there."

Lacoste describes the hardships his colleagues are facing and says wages are falling.

Incomes way down

"Most of the people in our company, their income has dropped by at least a third."

"The core message is we need immediate action for our pipelines to get in the ground, to get to tidewater and to the rest of Canada," said lead organizer Glen Carritt, the owner of an oilfield fire and safety company in Innisfail, Alta.

The protesters want the Liberal government to scrap the carbon tax and two bills that overhaul environmental assessments of energy projects and ban oil tankers from the northern coast of British Columbia. Lead organizer Glen Carritt, the owner of an oilfield safety company, said participants also are unhappy about the government recently signing a non-binding United Nations compact on global migration.

Organizers change name

Carritt originally referred to his convoy as a "yellow vest convoy" but renamed it United We Roll after it was linked to people spewing hateful rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants.

"After much consideration, we have decided to make this convoy about being inclusive and supporting Canadians first and foremost," Carritt wrote on the protest's GoFundMe page in late January. "Our new name is United We Roll! Convoy For Canada!"

Some trucks in the convoy display the signature yellow vest garment on their front grilles, but Carritt stresses the rally is open to anyone fed up with the federal government — as long as they aren't violent.

"Everybody's involved," said Carritt. "It doesn't matter — you can wear a yellow vest or blue coveralls or black hardhat or suit and tie. Everybody that's peaceful is welcome."

Jason Corbeil, another organizer, renounced any association with a Sault. Ste. Marie, Ont., yellow vest group that had claimed 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.

Evan Balgord, the executive director the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, however, is warning that the convoy is giving a platform for hate.

"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," he said

Lacoste says despite the controversy, he feels the convoy has much public support.

"We were apprehensive when we came here into Ontario because it's an unknown of the support level we're going to have," he said

"But the whole way here our support has been phenomenal. When we pulled into Arnprior last night there were I think 300-400 people there."