‘We are not here to block roads’

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This article was published 18/02/2023 (931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hundreds of people turned out to a private, 50 acre lot outside of Dugald Saturday in support of the World Unity Convoy, with possibly more than one thousand expected throughout the weekend.

Speaking from the camp Saturday, organizers were adamant on separating themselves from the so-called “freedom convoy” movement, which established blockades in Ottawa and Winnipeg around this time last year, ultimately leading the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act.

“Camp Hope is not here to tear the government down. We are not here to block roads,” said property owner Walter Hiebert. “Camp Hope has nothing to do with the convoy… That was pushing against the (COVID-19 vaccine) mandates. This is where we bring people back together.”

The event began Thursday and is expected to continue until Feb. 21. The group does not plan to leave the private property during that time, Hiebert said.

“Anything that’s happening outside of this event has nothing to do with us,” he said.

Instead, attendees — many of whom travelled from across the country and beyond — will participate in on-site activities, including live music, food, and speeches from people deemed “leaders” in the convoy community.

“God put it on my heart to build it,” Hiebert, 50, said of his decision to build the camp, which included a cooking shed, stage, porta-potties and ample parking for passenger vehicles, semi-trucks and campers.

Planning for the event has been a year in the making and financed entirely by donations, including many from local Hutterite colonies, he said.

Hiebert would not comment on how much money was raised by donations, or what it cost to host the event, but said excess funds may be used to bolster infrastructure for future events or be donated to other facilities.

The recreational use of drugs and alcohol is restricted on-site, and organizers asked attendees only to fly flags of “peace,” including Canada’s national flag and the official flag of Camp Hope.

Volunteers with the group are acting as security, directing traffic and admitting people onto the property.

A sign at the camp entrance identifies the site as private property, and includes a message: “Enter at your own risk even with authorization.”

Hiebert stressed that anybody is welcome, and said the sign is simply a liability measure.

“I want to invite all the people to come out and have a good time… Find your friends, lets stand together as Canadians. Lets come together with peace, love and unity.”

Attendees included Ron Clark, a prominent voice in the convoy community and a participant during last year’s protest, when crowds established blockades in downtown Ottawa between Jan. 28 and Feb. 20.

Similar blockades were established in Winnipeg between Feb. 4 to Feb. 23 last year, shutting down a stretch of Broadway in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Passenger vehicles, semi-trucks and heavy machinery clogged the streets, with residents in both cities reporting noise complaints, harassment, threats and mental anguish as a result of the occupations.

The protests ultimately ended when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government initiated the Emergencies Act, granting the federal government the ability to prohibit public assemblies, direct banks to freeze assets and impose a ban on support for protesters.

While critics deemed the act an overreaction, a national inquiry into the decision culminated with its final report Friday, deeming the act justified but “regrettable.”

Justice Paul Rouleau, the commissioner leading the inquiry described the events in Ottawa as a “lawful protest” that “descended into lawlessness, culminating in a national emergency.”

Clark disputed Rouleau’s determination.

“We have the right to peacefully protest,” he said. “The only time it went bad was when the police were attacking us, and we still did not fight back. We still stood our ground, talking to police, singing O Canada and prayers — kneeling in front of them — is that violence?”

Hiebert, who said he was pepper-sprayed twice during the Ottawa protest, said “I have nothing to do with that. We have to pray for our government,” when when asked about the inquiry findings.

Both men agreed the goal of Camp Hope was to unite people suffering from feelings of despair proliferating Canada. They referenced suicide rates, unemployment, poverty, health inequality, pointing at the Canadian government as the root of the problem.

Clark said the goal of the weekend was to discuss ideas and “a way forward” without fear of censorship from media and government bodies.

“They don’t want unity, they don’t want us coming together,” Clark said. “We are just trying to keep everything open and transparent with everybody. We have nothing to hide… We are not here to hurt anybody. We are not here to plug up the city.”

Clark describes himself as a freedom advocate, and said he became involved in the convoy movement because his wife, Amanda Clark, was unable to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to a blood clotting condition. When governments began introducing mandates and restrictions, her quality of life suffered.

Community Solidarity Manitoba, a newly formed coalition of social justice advocates, unions and community groups, denounced the World Unity event in a public statement on Feb. 16., calling the event a rebranded version of the original freedom convoy.

“We stand with the many communities across Canada who understand that these convoys are not about freedom in the abstract, but are part of a movement fuelled by anger and hate,” the release said.

After learning the World Unity group was planning to stay within the confines of Hiebert’s property, Diwa Marcelino, spokesperson for the coalition, softened his stance.

“We’re not here to fight the people who are being drawn into the World Unity Convoy, we are here to find the solutions that are causing the problems in the first place,” he said.

Marcelino said the coalition agrees there are many Canadians struggling against a lack of housing, poverty and failing health-care systems, but said some of the views espoused in the original Freedom Convoy movement were misguided and dangerous.

Organizers at Camp Hope have been liaising with local RCMP throughout the weekend, allowing them to visit the property multiple times per day, Hiebert said.

As of Saturday, RCMP had not received any calls for service at Camp Hope, and there were no traffic related issues in connection to the event, RCMP spokesperson Robert Cyrenne said in an email.

The Winnipeg Police Service said it is working with RCMP as it monitors the event, but did not comment on whether it is aware of any planned protests in Winnipeg.

“We are making plans should there be any event to take place within the City of Winnipeg,” WPS Const. Claude Chancy said in an email Saturday.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca