Unionist Bernard “Rambo” Gauthier wants the Quebec Federation of Workers (FTQ) to financially support a road convoy project to Quebec to protest against health measures.
Mr. Gauthier is a representative of Local 791, which brings together heavy machinery operators, affiliated with the FTQ-Construction.
In a video posted Monday on one of his pages on social networks, Mr. Gauthier expresses his intention to contact Dominic Girard, assistant general manager of local 791, to convince him to speak with Éric Boisjoly, the director of the FTQ-Construction.
The unionist from the North Shore insists on the importance of putting “the shoulder to the wheel” in Quebec, after a weekend marked by a demonstration of heavyweights which continues in Ottawa, in front of the parliament.
“We stay quite far away, the National Assembly is in Quebec, the other is in Ottawa. I don’t know, maybe a little financial support, paying for the buses, something, ”says Mr. Gauthier on Facebook, about the requests he has to make to the FTQ.
Mr. Gauthier said that a road convoy project is being organized. It would bring together participants from the North Shore, Gaspésie, Saguenay and Beauce, who would hit the road Thursday towards Quebec.
“I don’t know how big it’s going to be, but it looks like it’s going to be pretty big,” he says in his video. […] Quebec is accessible to us. Anyway, I’ll be there. If it gets solid, Thursday, I’m leaving. »
Contacted by The duty, Mr. Gauthier declined to comment on the subject. He declined to confirm whether he did so on his Facebook page.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember, my memory is blank,” he said before ending the conversation.
On the side of the FTQ-Construction, the communication advisor Philippe Lapointe confirmed that Mr. Gauthier approached the leaders. Mr. Lapointe saw Mr. Gauthier’s video, in which the union representative explains the convoy project, but he did not want to say what the subject of the requested interview is.
“I spoke with my director, Éric Boisjoly, and he told me that we will not comment,” he said.
Mr. Lapointe mentioned the possibility of a discussion on Tuesday between Mr. Boisjoly and Mr. Gauthier.
“He came to see us, there will be discussion, he said. I don’t have the answer, and I was told not to comment. »
Sanitary measures
In his video, Mr. Gauthier attacks health measures such as the vaccine passport, pleading for the free choice to be vaccinated or not.
“It’s not logical a QR code to go to a restaurant, go have a beer with my buddies or to socialize with my friends,” he says.
According to Mr. Gauthier, the FTQ-Construction has an interest in supporting initiatives such as the planned convoy to Quebec.
“It would be very appreciated, you don’t have to get wet, although it would have been interesting,” he said.
Ottawa was overrun with heavyweights this weekend. Truckers and their supporters are demanding an end to health measures, including the obligation to be vaccinated to cross the border with the United States.