Local supporters of the Freedom Convoy movement plan to mark the anniversary of last winter's demonstrations by holding a gathering of their own this weekend in North Bay.
Saturday's festivities will begin with a slow roll departing from the Walmart parking lot at 11 a.m. and will then head for the waterfront. There, the event, featuring music, guest speakers, and a barbecue kicks off at noon.
PUBLIC AWARENESS - Please expect traffic delays resulting from a protest beginning around 11AM today, involving vehicles travelling from Northgate Square along Highway 11/17 to Algonquin Avenue and ending at the waterfront. #NorthBay #Police and OPP are monitoring the event.
— North Bay Police (@NorthBayPolice) January 28, 2023
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, Parliament Hill police estimate 500 will attend 'Freedom Convoy' anniversary.
One of Saturday's scheduled speakers is Gregory Galante, who was the PPC candidate for the Nipissing—Timiskaming riding in 2021, in the last federal election. According to Galante, the scope of the Freedom Convoy showed it was not driven by a "fringe minority," as was famously suggested by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
See related: 'Freedom Convoy' protesters voted The Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year
"It's important to acknowledge that tens of thousands of Canadians gathered in Ottawa and represented the views of millions of Canadians who said 'NO' to government overreach and authoritarianism," Galante tells BayToday. "They said 'YES' to the Constitution, the Charter and Freedom."
Galante says his talk on Saturday will touch on several subjects, running the gamut from the journey to awareness, to the politicization and corporate takeover of public health, the descent into authoritarianism/fascism of the western world, the "UNIPARTY" and the state of Canada's parliament, and the path forward or backward to actual representative government.
See: PPC candidate Galante responds to criticism over 'Holocaust tweet'
Galante elaborates with, "The Convoy shed light on the complete capitulation of Justin Trudeau's government to a globalist agenda no Canadian or for that matter, no citizen of any democratic nation voted for. It exposed the corruption, the incompetence and the petty, vindictive and divisive nature of the prime minister and his cabinet."
Asked what's left to accomplish for the Freedom Convoy, he replies, "Nothing short of the return of accountable governance to every level of government in Canada."
Beginning in late-January 2022 and spilling well into the following month, many of Ottawa's downtown streets were gridlocked by idling trucks and convoy supporters while nearby residents and businesses fumed over the constant cloud of exhaust and incessant blaring of horns. The Emergencies Act was ultimately invoked in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
The purpose of the convoy became murkier as more people descended on Ottawa and major international border crossings in Windsor and southern Alberta. Most of the demonstrations demanded the lifting of COVID-19 mandates and the restoration of freedoms but ideological factions emerged even within the convoy's organizers — many of whom were eventually detained.
See also: Freedom, politics, control and money: the many motivations of the 'Freedom Convoy'
The late January 2022 procession to the various convoy destinations saw thousands of Canadians line highways and bridges, some in support, others out of curiosity.
And: Truck convoy arrives in North Bay
Galante says it is important to continue on with the movement because "no government anywhere in history has given back freedoms it has seized from its citizens. They must be taken back. In a democracy we do this by shedding light on the issues and by using the ballot box."
