The discord in the organization of a return of the Freedom Convoy to Ottawa seems to have got the better of the participation of Quebec demonstrators, announce Internet users who promise to organize their own rally in February, this time in Quebec.
“Recently, in meeting, [les organisateurs de Canada Unity] told us that they would not be going to Ottawa. They decided to do it elsewhere. […] We have decided to cancel our participation, ”announced Jonathan Mongrain, an administrator of the main French-speaking Facebook page devoted to the Freedom Convoy, on Saturday.
In his vertical video of just over 4 minutes, filmed in front of a Christmas tree, the man explains that the group Canada Unity had “changed the reasons” and “changed the place” of the planned demonstration in Ottawa, from February 17 to 21, 2023.
“Rest assured, an event will take place in Quebec with the same perspective and the same intentions as we had for Ottawa 2.0,” confirmed Mario Lapointe, another administrator of the “Convois de la liberté 2023” page. The two organizers did not immediately respond to questions sent by The dutytuesday.
Canada Unity founder James Bauder wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday that he is planning a big announcement for Christmas Day, in which “all questions about Convoy 2.0 will be answered.” He associated this message with the hashtag #WorldUnityConvoy [Convoi de l’unité du monde].
Done for Ottawa
Appearing before the State of Emergency Commission this fall, Mr. Bauder had notably claimed that God inspired him to organize the first version of the Freedom Convoy. He had burst into tears in front of judge Paul Rouleau, remembering the scenes of “unity” observed during this demonstration.
In November, James Bauder announced on social media that he wanted to repeat the experience in 2023. He wanted a new convoy of trucks to leave British Columbia on February 11 for Ottawa, where he said he wanted to extend “an olive branch to make peace with the residents of the federal capital.
Ottawa’s new police chief, Eric Stubbs, assured his city’s city councilors on Monday that he is prepared for a return of trucks this winter. “Vehicle-oriented protests will be banned from downtown and places of national significance,” reads the statement from the Ottawa Police Service.
Additionally, Ontario’s Bill 100, passed last April, provides various prohibitions on protests to “keep Ontario open for business.”
The Canada Unity site published a petition last year in the form of a pseudo-legal document that claimed that the Senate and the Governor General could dismiss the Government of Canada. During the commission of inquiry, James Bauder maintained that he only wanted to present evidence of “treason” by the Trudeau government. His document was one of the justifications for invoking the Emergencies Act. The “MoU” has since been removed from the site.
Other key organizers of last winter’s Freedom Convoy distanced themselves from Mr. Bauder. The organizer Tamara Lich, for example, declared to the Rouleau Commission “to have nothing to do with him”. His attorney, Keith Wilson, told commission prosecutors that the Canada Unity petition made no sense to him.
Mr. Bauder and Canada Unity did not immediately respond to questions from the Homework at the time of publishing this article.