Pembroke – The night was cold, the air horns were blaring and hundreds of supporters were cheering as many Renfrew County residents gathered at intersections along Highway 17 from Deep River to Arnprior to cheer on the Freedom Convoy that rolled through Friday night from the west to the Nation’s Capital.
No one knows the total number of large trucks, which were joined by scores of pick-up trucks, SUVs and cars in the convoy through Renfrew County, but the numbers were substantial.
There was no schedule for the arrival of the trucks and while many people gathered at intersections along Highway 17 in the Pembroke area from mid afternoon Friday on, it wasn’t until late Friday night that the main fleet passed by Pembroke enroute to Arnprior where they parked for the night before rolling into Ottawa Saturday afternoon to join truckers and protesters from the south, east and north.
Temperatures dipped to -26C at Pembroke but despite the biting cold about 100 cheering supporters lined both sides of Highway 17 at the Hwy. 41 intersection, waving flags, screaming and even singing a flat version of O Canada. The cheering grew audibly louder as trucks from the west drove through the intersection.
Highway 17 at Cobden was also lined with people waving flags and displaying signs with messages as the convoy rolled through the community and similar reports of the same things occurring at Renfrew intersections were also reported.
Ontario Provincial Police vehicles were quite visible throughout the afternoon and evening, but there were no reports of any unpeaceful activity. Those who gathered were there to join in the opposition to the federal government’s decision to mandate truckers travelling to and from the US must be vaccinated as well as to show their opposition to other COVID-19 restrictions.
Many of those gathered carried hand-made signs with messages of support for the convoy and messages opposing regulations. There were also a few signs with inappropriate language, particularly against the PM.
One thing that was quite visible and which is unusual for Canadians to display, especially in comparison to our US neighbours, was the waving of Canadian flags.
According to a social media report, there was also a group of people praying the Rosary at the busy intersection. It was led by the parish priest of St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Barry’s Bay.
Political Support
Two local politicians are known to have taken part in the protest. Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant said in a social media post “my heart is swelling with joy at the widespread support for the women and men who are on the road to remind the prime minister: a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”.
Bonnechere Valley Township Councillor Tim Schison, who owns his own tractor trailer and works in the forest industry, led a small contingent of truckers from Eganville into Pembroke at about 3:30 Friday afternoon. BV Mayor Jennifer Murphy declined two invitations to join local truckers, saying “my back is totally screwed” but offered her support.
“Truck on, my friend!!! I am with you,” she posted.
Mrs. Gallant said she was looking forward to greeting the convoy Friday afternoon when it arrived at Irving’s Big Truck Stop in Pembroke. Aware they were running behind schedule, she arrived there at about 7:30, but the main convoy was still hours away from Pembroke.
She told the Leader she planned to go to Arnprior later that night to meet truckers, but did not plan to address them because she said by the time they arrived in Arnprior they would be so tired they would just want to go to sleep.
“They’ve got to sleep,” she said. “Their big day is tomorrow (Saturday).”
Mrs. Gallant said she was “so pleased” to have crowds of people all along the highway, ready to give truckers a big Ottawa Valley welcome.
“They are so pleased that people across Canada are coming together to stand for our freedom,” she said.
Mrs. Gallant said she spoke with the main organizers of the convoy every night of their drive across Canada via Zoom and said the main thread of the protest was “bringing our freedoms back”.
“The mandates are part of it but lifting the restrictions and letting us be Canadians again, what our soldiers fought for to be free”.
When asked if she was against the vaccination, she replied if she was she wouldn’t have the three shots in her arms.
“I’ve talked to people … and they don’t like what the prime minister is doing, (he) is singling out Canadians.
“We’re all Canadians and to target individuals is not becoming of a leader,” she said. “He is ruling by decree. He did not bring this to Parliament for a debate. Right after the election happened, he stated the mandate and before the first day of Parliament even began, the deadlines were passing.
“So, we didn’t have a chance to debate it. We didn’t have a chance to listen to witnesses outline the benefits and the risks to this and as we are seeing, the risks are just as bad as what he is imposing.”
When asked what she thought would be the outcome of the weekend, the 22-year-old veteran who was first elected to Parliament as a Canadian Alliance candidate, replied “what we’re hoping is that they will lift the restrictions, start listening to the people and having an honest conversation with people, instead of just dictating.”
Mrs. Gallant said what she was hearing as she talked to people Friday was that they don’t want to see Canadians singled out and targeted.
“We’re all Canadians,” she remarked. “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
She said the concerns she is hearing from her constituents is they are losing their freedoms.
“But what people are questioning is the fact that it’s all or nothing. It’s vaccinations and if you get sick, and you go to the doctor, it’s well, ‘come back when you need to be put on a respirator’.
“We want to see some treatments brought in and approved by Health Canada.”
In her social media release, she said Conservatives have always supported Canadians’ right to determine their own health choices.
“We continue to advocate for reasonable measures, such as rapid testing to help protect everyone, especially the most vulnerable,” she said. “Throughout the pandemic, truckers have safely provided Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast with the food and essential supplies they need. While truckers were safely transporting food to Canadians, Trudeau flew overseas flouting masks and social distancing measures.
“The Liberals should be working with truckers – not against them. Justin Trudeau needs to take responsibility for once again trying to divide Canadians and stoke fear.
“Trudeau must stop misleading Canadians about the risk posed by those who reject his arbitrary decrees.
“I support all our local Ottawa Valley truckers, together with those from across Canada, and continue to support every Canadian’s right to peacefully and lawfully protest.”
She said Mr. Trudeau dealt the vulnerable supply chain another blow with the latest mandate which is being imposed at a time when Canadians are already seeing supply chain shortages and skyrocketing inflation.
“The prime minister has implemented a mandate that has left tens of thousands of truckers unable to work,” she said. “This Liberal policy puts our food security at risk.”
While crowds in Ottawa were much smaller than anticipated, there was complete gridlock in the downtown area and especially around Parliament Hill as trucks filled the streets.
The protest, which is continuing, this week, has been peaceful for the most part but there have been incidents of defacing the Terry Fix statue and dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There were also reports of a beer can being thrown at CTV reporter Evan Solomon and swarming of other mainstream media reporters.
