Skip to content

Locals say United We Roll convoy was a success

The United We Roll convoy stood on Parliament Hill to spread their message, and local participants weren't disappointed with what they accomplished.
Convoyweb
Local residents Angie Reid (left) and Jack Graham (centre) stand with a supporter during one of their stops.

The United We Roll convoy stood on Parliament Hill to spread their message, and local participants weren't disappointed with what they accomplished.

"Our goal was to wake up Canada," expressed Angie Reid, Bonnyville resident, convoy east coast coordinator, and pace car for the drive. "We knew we weren't going to get Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down. He didn't even come out and address us at all, which was a shame because we represented a lot of Canadians that wanted to be heard and I think they should have, but, we achieved our goal. We wanted to wake up the Canadians that couldn't understand, and people that just weren't educated on certain things."

The United We Roll convoy brought together groups, including members of the Yellow Vest Movement, to raise awareness of how the federal government's policies are impacting the Alberta oil and gas sector, such as the carbon tax and Bill C-69.

Reid, a Yellow Vest member, said the group was invited to be involved.

"A lot of people in the (Yellow Vest Movement), and those across Canada, are doing it for their own reasons and all their heartfelt causes, and that's fine. We want all of Canada to come in and help support us make Canada better again," she exclaimed.

Over 160 trucks met in Red Deer for the kick off of the trip, which started on Feb. 14. They travelled along the Trans Canada Hwy. all the way to Ottawa.

"(Our numbers) fluctuated as we went, because people would jump on and go as far as they could, because not everyone could make the full trip. People in the local communities would jump on for an hour, and hop off," Reid recalled.

Co-organizer for the convoy from Bonnyville, Jack Graham, was blown away by the support they received from Canadians along the way.

"Every town had at least 100 people out on the roads. The big cities had a major amount of people... Really, Ontario was the biggest support we've had along the roads, there were thousands of people that came out to make sure they showed support for Alberta oil fields," expressed Graham.

Reid added, "The sun was shining the whole five days on the way down, and we had people at all hours of the day standing on the side of the road waiting to cheer us on."

Protests were held in Ottawa on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, Feb. 19 and Wednesday, Feb. 20, where they shut down Wellington St. for five hours each day.

"We got up on the hill, we did a few speeches, and we all talked," Reid said.

While there were some anti-protesters present, Reid and Graham felt overall, they were peaceful events.

"We're here to unite everybody, not to hate anybody... We want everybody to understand what we're doing, and it's for Canada," expressed Reid.

Support for the convoy didn't diminish as they made their way back to Alberta following the second protest on Wednesday, Feb. 20.

"As we were going back, there were people putting up signs saying 'thank you, United We Roll.' They were balling their eyes out on the road because they really know that we need a pipeline and they know what's happening in Alberta," Graham said.

With a successful trip behind them, organizers already have their sights set on a bike rally to Ottawa in July.

"We're going to ride bikes, and drive our cars and trucks in behind. We're going to go all the way from (Calgary) and travelling to Ottawa," Graham explained, adding the trip will be extended to allow days to stop in communities they weren't able to visit during the first drive.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks