The organizers of the spiritual successor to the “Freedom Convoy” are not meeting in Ottawa, but in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Posted at 3:24pm
In a live video posted to Facebook on Sunday, the group Canada Unity announced plans to demonstrate in Winnipeg from February 17-21, 2023.
One of the organizers, nicknamed “Bigbear” in the video, said that this meeting will aim to “find solutions for a better world for all Canadians”.
James Bauder, co-founder of the group Canada Unity, said the idea of marching to Ottawa was being considered, but the organizers of this new convoy wanted to give “a gift to the people of Ottawa”.
“We heard you Ottawa residents,” he said during the live broadcast. We’re still approaching Ottawa, but this time the convoy will pass through Ottawa and you can join us on the journey to Winnipeg! It’s going to be really exciting. »
Organizers hope to rekindle the enthusiasm sparked by the first edition of the “Freedom Convoy” last February, which saw thousands of protesters blocking downtown Ottawa’s streets for weeks to protest against health restrictions – and more broadly against the Liberal government – to resist.
These protests resulted in the closure of shops and streets in the area, including part of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill.
To avoid reliving the same film, Ottawa Police had already begun preparing for a possible return of the protesters in 2023.
In a letter sent to the mayor and chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board last week, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs assured that the Ottawa Police Service Liaison Team is already in talks with the organizers of this event.
The latter seem to have turned around and decided to go to Winnipeg.
Also in their live broadcast, the organizers of this “Convoy 2.0” mentioned that they had already held discussions with other international stakeholders who would be very interested in participating in this event in Canada in one way or another.